CHICAGO – The University of Chicago women's lacrosse team finished off conference play with a dominating 23-2 victory over visiting North Central College on Wednesday night.

The No. 20-ranked Maroons (15-1 record) completed their undefeated run through the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) with a 6-0 record. After the game's conclusion, UChicago was presented with the CCIW's regular season championship trophy on the field.

It was all Maroons from the onset as the hosts blitzed North Central (4-12 record, 2-4 CCIW) with 10 goals in the first quarter. Senior Ali Sheehy and sophomore Lizzie Huesman both scored twice in the first 11 minutes of game time. UChicago fired off 21 shots in the first quarter alone.

While the home side dictated all aspects of play throughout the evening, it all started in the center circle. The Maroons ran away with the draw controls category by a 23-6 final margin, which included an 11-0 advantage in the first quarter. Junior Charlotte Rapp was an ace in the middle with a game-high eight draw controls. Once armed with the ball out of the draw, UChicago's offense then methodically broke down NCC's defense for goal-scoring opportunities.

The Cardinals got onto the scoreboard in the first minute of the second quarter. But the Maroons were unfazed, putting up four more in the period to go up 14-1 heading into halftime.

The Maroon dominance extended to the midfield, where the hosts harassed the Cardinals into the majority of their 23 total turnovers. NCC only converted 7 of 21 clear attempts (33.3 percent) while UChicago was nearly perfect in those scenarios at 9-for-10. Ground balls were similarly one-sided at 25-12 in favor of the Maroons.

First-year Skylar Lienhardt opened the second half scoring only 34 seconds in and UChicago cruised from there with six goals in the third quarter and three more in the fourth.

In the final box score, the Maroons outshot the Cardinals 49-10. The home side also surpassed 20 goals in a game for the seventh time this year.

Twelve different Maroons scored goals in the game, with nine collecting at least two goals. First-year Evelina Swigart paced the offensive effort with four goals while also posting four draw controls and two ground balls. First-year Jane Chen accumulated two goals, three assists and two ground balls. Huesman, Lienhardt and sophomore Lulu Hardy each finished with two goals and two assists. Sheehy contributed two goals, four caused turnovers and three ground balls. Senior Abbey Pouba, junior Zoe Torok and first-year Olivia Escoffery all tallied two goals each.

First-year goalie Rachel Keefe (15-1 record) got the win in 30 minutes of playing time. She allowed one goal with four saves. Juniors Emily Feigen and Kat Berritto split up the second half in goal.

NEXT GAME:

• Wednesday, May 4 @ 6:00 PM – TBD at UChicago (CCIW Tournament)