CHICAGO – The University of Chicago women's lacrosse team controlled all facets of the game in a comprehensive 21-0 shutout of Wartburg College on Tuesday night.

The No. 19-ranked Maroons improved to 2-0 while the Knights fell to 0-2.

It was a cold night on the Stagg Field turf, but it didn't take long for the hosts to get warmed up. Just under one minute into the contest, sophomore Lulu Hardy scored the opening salvo. Ninety-two seconds later, junior Zoe Torok made it 2-0, and the rout was on. By the end of the first quarter, UChicago had staked itself to a 10-0 lead.

Defense led to offense throughout the evening. The Maroons employed their typical aggressive full-ride defense to great effect. Wartburg struggled to get the ball even across midfield, and UChicago pounced to steal passes and pick up every loose ball. The Knights turned the ball over 24 times overall and only converted 2 of 18 clear attempts (11 percent). When the visitors did get on offense, the UChicago defenders smothered almost every chance – Wartburg only attempted two shots during the contest.

With the Maroons constantly getting the ball back, they remained patient and took their time setting up offensive looks. UChicago fired off 41 shots and hit pay dirt on just over half of them.

The score stood at 13-0 at halftime and the lead expanded from there. The Maroons converted 5 of 7 shots in the third quarter to go up 18-0. The hosts cruised for the duration en route to a 21-0 victory.

The 21 goals were the third-most in program history. The school record of 22 was achieved in 2021 versus North Central College and in 2019 against Linfield University.

A whopping 14 different players scored on Tuesday. Junior Anneke Pulkkinen and first-year Skylar Lienhardt both finished with three goals and one assist. Pulkkinen added three ground balls and one caused turnover. Hardy tallied three goals of her own. Torok put up two goals and two assists. First-year Jane Chen and senior Sarah Bloomquist posted one goal and two assists each. First-year Evelina Swigart produced a well-rounded line of one goal, one assist, three ground balls and three caused turnovers.

All three goalies saw playing time. First-year Rachel Keefe (2-0 record) got the start in goal and the victory with a clean sheet in the first quarter. Juniors Emily Feigen and Kat Berritto evenly divided up the remainder of the game, making one save apiece.

The ground balls category was one-sided at 24-11 in favor of the Maroons, as were draw controls at 19-4. Tuesday also marked the second shutout in program history.

NEXT GAME:

• Saturday, March 5 @ 1:00 PM – Hope College at UChicago