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Anelise DiGiovanni celebrating a goal in win over Hanover College March 29, 2026
Kodiak Creative
12
Hanover HANOVER 2-6, 0-0
21
Winner Ill. Wesleyan ILL. WES 4-7, 0-0
Hanover HANOVER
2-6, 0-0
12
Final
21
Ill. Wesleyan ILL. WES
4-7, 0-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Hanover HANOVER 4 2 2 4 12
Ill. Wesleyan ILL. WES 4 6 4 7 21

Game Recap: Women's Lacrosse |

Strong Offensive Showing Leads Women’s Lacrosse Past Panthers

Eight Titans score goals in 21-12 victory

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's lacrosse team used an offensive spark to take down Hanover College, 21-12, Sunday afternoon, March 29. With the win, the Titans improve to 4-7 on the year, while the Panthers dip to 2-6. 

The Green and White offense was led by 10 points from senior Anelise DiGiovanni (Lockport, Ill.-Lockport Township), tying her career-high. DiGiovanni scored a career-best four goals to go along with a team-high six assists. Sophomore Sophie Shore (St. Peters, Mo.-Francis Howell Central) tied DiGiovanni for the team-lead in goals, also totaling four, and added two helpers for a total of six points. Sophomore Maddie Gibson (Fenton, Mo.-Rockwood Summit) and senior Sadie Newton (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community) finished with five points apiece. Newton net four goals and an assist, while Gibson tallied three goals and a pair of helpers. 

Scooping up a career-high seven ground balls, Shore also helped lead the Titan defense. The sophomore finished with five caused turnovers, tying her career-best. The trio of DiGiovanni, Newton, and sophomore Marli Brown (Kansas City, Mo.-Notre Dame de Sion) tied for second on the squad with five ground balls each. Forcing three miscues, Newton, DiGiovanni, and senior Sarah Riepe (Aurora, Ill.-St. Francis) followed to help guide the defense. 

Posting a strong day at the draw, DiGiovanni smashed her career-high, as she finished with 11 of the team's 24 draw controls. Shore added four to her packed stat line. 

Brown spent all 60 minutes in goal en route to the win, recording six saves in the process.

The Green and White ended the contest with the advantage in shots (45-25), shots on goal (35-17), ground balls (34-32), draw controls (24-11), and caused turnovers (18-11), while going 14-for-21 on clear attempts. HC notched the edge in saves, 15-6, and had a 15-of-28 showing on clear attempts.

Illinois Wesleyan scored the first three goals of the game to take an early lead. Gibson cracked the scoreboard first, as she buried a pass from DiGiovanni just over a minute into the game. Keeping it herself, DiGiovanni wrapped around the crease for her first of four goals, making it 2-0 with 11:20 on the clock. Shore shook off a defender as she spun around the crease, quickly making it 3-0 at the 8:51 mark. 

Hanover responded with four straight goals to go ahead, 4-3. After a turnover by the Panthers, Shore caught a pass from DiGiovanni while crashing towards the net, deadlocking the score at four to end the first quarter. 

Fifth-year Bri Kiser (Crown Point, Ind.-Crown Point) caused a turnover to put the Titans in transition to begin the second period. IWU made Hanover pay for the miscue, as DiGiovanni sent a perfect pass to Gibson for the wide open look to make it 5-4. HC once again countered, this time using a free-position goal to net the score at 5-5 with 11:09 remaining in the first half. 

The Titans scored four of the next five goals to take a 10-6 lead into halftime. Newton picked off a pass from Hanover's goalie and roped her breakaway attempt into the back of the net. DiGiovanni continued to distribute the ball, this time connecting with Riepe for a goal. IWU tacked one one more before the Panthers could halt the run, this time off a DiGiovanni goal with the help of a Shore assist, pushing the home team ahead, 8-5, with 4:42 to play. 

A shot by sophomore Lillie Keeton (Bloomington, Ill.-Bloomington) ricocheted in for a score, and the sophomore fed a crashing DiGiovanni for a woman-up goal, sending the Titans into the break up four, 10-6.

Brown came through with a one-v-one save to keep momentum in favor of IWU in the second half. Newton juked out her defender and ripped a left-handed shot into the back of the net to widen the lead to five, 11-6. The Panthers took the ensuing draw all the way down for a score, though, to cut back into the lead.

Three straight goals by the Green and White locked the game up, beginning with another woman-up opportunity. After drawing the card, Shore popped a pass over a defender right into Newton's stick, who fired her shot into the back of the net to make it 12-7 with 6:22 remaining in the third quarter. Playing in her first game back from injury, senior Carleigh Fountain (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) wasted little time, as she shook off a defender and buried a pass from DiGiovanni to increase the lead to six. Also playing in her first contest back, junior Chloe Heyl (Houston, Texas-Emery/Weiner) doubled the score with under three minutes left in the period.

Hanover used a last-minute shot to end the third quarter, 14-8. 

Four straight Titan goals to begin the fourth put the home team in cruise control the rest of the way, ultimately winning 21-12.

Illinois Wesleyan will begin College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play by hosting North Central College Saturday, April 4. Action is set for 1 p.m. inside Tucci Stadium, kicking off a double header with the Titan men's lacrosse team also facing NCC at 4 p.m.
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