IWU Women's Lacrosse Coaches Abby Kushina and Monica Jarrett celebrating win over IIT Feb. 21, 2026

Kodiak Creative

Women’s Lacrosse Embarks on First Road Trip of Season to Lake Forest

Titans face Foresters at 11 a.m.

2/27/2026 12:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - After enjoying three home games to open the 2026 season, the Illinois Wesleyan University women's lacrosse team will head on the road for the first time, as the Titans (2-1) will take on Lake Forest College Saturday, Feb. 28. Action is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at Farwell Field.

The Green and White enter the weekend after falling to Aurora University, 14-9, Wednesday, Feb. 25. Sophomore Sophie Shore (St. Peters, Mo.-Francis Howell Central) led the offense with five points, composed of a career-best four goals and an assist. Senior Sadie Newton (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) guided the defense with team-highs of five draw controls and four caused turnovers. In goal, sophomore Marli Brown (Kansas City, Mo.-Notre Dame de Sion) recorded career-highs of 15 saves and six ground balls.

Through three games, Illinois Wesleyan's offense has been led by 18 points, an average of six per game, from senior Anelise DiGiovanni (Lockport, Ill.-Lockport Township). Her 10 assists rank second nationally, while her points mark sits 11th. Shore follows with 16 points, while Newton and sophomore Maddie Gibson (Fenton, Mo.-Rockwood Summit) are tied for third with 10 points apiece. Newton leads the team in goals with 10, followed by eight scores each from DiGiovanni, Shore, and sophomore Lillie Keeton (Bloomington, Ill.-Bloomington). Shore trails DiGiovanni in the assists column, having totaled eight so far this season, while Gibson's five helpers is good for third on the team.

At the draw, Newton paces the Titans with 19 draw controls, an average of 6.33 per contest. Shore has 13 on the season, while senior Sarah Riepe (Aurora, Ill.-St. Francis) sits at 10. Newton also holds the team-lead in ground balls with 16, as the senior is averaging 5.33 per game. Riepe's 12 ground balls are the second-most, followed by 11 from Brown.

Defensively, IWU enters the game averaging 20.33 caused turnovers per contest, the sixth-best mark in Division III. Newton and Shore lead the team with 12 and 11, respectively, while Riepe's nine forced miscues rounds out the top three.

In goal for the Green and White, Brown has made a team-best 20 saves and holds a .455 save percentage on the season in 120 minutes between the pipes. Freshman Allison Vervynck (Overland Park, Kan.-Saint Thomas Aquinas) has logged 60 minutes in goal, making six saves.

IWU will meet LFC on the field for the third team, with each team having won once. The Titans took the most recent matchup, 11-8, March 2, 2025. Carleigh Fountain led the offense with four points by way of three goals and an assist. Avery Setzler totaled six ground balls, the most by a Titan, while then-freshman Brooke Ayres (Sun Prairie, Wis.-Sun Prairie East) notched a team-high four caused turnovers. Lizzie Rymarcsuk collected the win in goal after making six saves over 60 minutes. The Foresters will open their season against the Titans.

Lake Forest will be providing a live stream of the game, which can be found here, while live stats can be accessed by clicking here.

Print Friendly Version