CHICAGO – In only its third season as a varsity sport, the University of Chicago women's lacrosse team made history on Saturday night on the Stagg Field turf. The Maroons submitted a dominating display all evening as they clinched the 2021 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament title with a comprehensive 19-3 victory over Carroll University. UChicago earned the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Championship field, which kicks off on May 8-9.

The NCAA selection show will be broadcast online at NCAA.com on Monday, May 3 at 9:30 AM (CT).

The Maroons improved their record to 9-1. The Pioneers concluded their season at 11-3.

It took all of 23 seconds for UChicago to break onto the scoreboard. A Carroll foul gave junior Audrey Kaus a free-position shot, which she buried to give her team a 1-0 advantage. The Pioneers evened the score two minutes later. But the Maroons scored nine of the next 10 goals to seize control for good as the first half progressed.

UChicago's prowess in two major areas swung the game definitively. Draw controls proved crucial for possession and momentum building on the offensive end. After a fairly even 8-6 edge in the first half, the Maroons won 7 of 10 in the second half. Sophomore Charlotte Rapp secured a career-best 10 draw controls in the circle, utilizing her height and positioning to great effect.

The midfield defense was perhaps the biggest factor of all. As soon as Carroll started up the field on clear attempts, the Maroons descended upon the ball with rabid energy all across the field. Non-stop pressure came from all sides, with UChicago finding particular success in knocking the ball loose from behind with the trailing defenders. Carroll's struggles were evident in the final tally as the visitors only succeeded on 9 of 22 clears (41 percent), while committing 23 turnovers overall. On the opposite side, the Maroons were fast and decisive on their offensive clear attempts, going a perfect 12-for-12.

UChicago's constant possession led to plenty of opportunities to score. The hosts outshot Carroll 44-10 by game's end, which included 35 shots on goal. The Pioneers' zone defense was frequently whistled for shooting space penalties, which gave UChicago a whopping 13 free-position shots. The Maroons converted goals on five such occasions. Carroll's physical style of defending also resulted in 28 total fouls.

One of the key stretches of the game came 12 minutes in. With UChicago holding a 2-1 lead, the offense found a groove and scored four times in a 2.5-minute span. Carroll got one back to make it 6-2, but the Maroons were unfazed and kept pushing forward, ultimately taking a 10-3 lead at the halftime break.

The second half was all UChicago. The defense smothered the Pioneers, limiting them to three shots and no goals. Meanwhile, the Maroons posted nine more goals of their own.

Scoring was a group effort as six different Maroons scored multiple times. Sophomore Katie Large led the way with four goals and two assists. Sophomore Anneke Pulkkinen contributed four goals as well. Juniors Ali Sheehy and Audrey Kaus posted two goals and two assists each. First-year Lizzie Huesman added two goals, three ground balls and three draw controls. First-year Lulu Hardy put up two goals and five ground balls herself. Junior Sarah Bloomquist dished out three assists and scored a goal.

Defensively, Sheehy and sophomore Hailey Klinger collected three caused turnovers and three ground balls apiece. Junior Adriana Shutler scooped up five ground balls and caused two turnovers. The Maroons had a nose for the loose ball, owning a 24-10 ground balls advantage.

In goal, sophomore Emily Feigen improved to 8-1 on the year. She made four saves with three goals allowed across 53 minutes of play. Sophomore Kat Berritto made one save as well in relief.

UChicago women's lacrosse made its varsity debut in 2019, finishing runner-up in the CCIW. A pandemic-shortened 2020 season limited the Maroons to a mere three games. The young program officially broke through in 2021 and will be making its NCAA postseason debut. Home field advantage has been key – the squad is 20-0 all-time on the Stagg Field turf.

NEXT GAME:

• Saturday-Sunday, May 8-9 – UChicago at NCAA Regional