CHICAGO – The University of Chicago women's lacrosse team extended its winning streak to 12-straight games with a 19-1 victory against Illinois Wesleyan University on Wednesday night.

The No. 20-ranked Maroons (16-1 record) advanced to the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament final for the third-straight time. They will next host Carthage College on Saturday night at Stagg Field. The Titans concluded their season with a 5-13 record.

UChicago entered the CCIW semifinals as the No. 1 seed, with IWU coming in as the No. 4 seed. The two teams last met on April 23, which featured a 24-6 win for the Maroons on Senior Day.

Sophomore Lulu Hardy got things rolling quickly with the opening goal only 41 seconds into the game. On the very next possession 30 seconds later, first-year Evelina Swigart cut through the defense for a tally of her own. By the end of the first quarter, UChicago was in complete control with a 7-0 lead. Hardy and Swigart both scored twice in the period.

In the second quarter, Hardy struck again with a pair of goals in the first three minutes. By the midpoint of the period, the Maroons enacted the running clock and took an 11-0 lead. The home team's attack ground to a halt for the rest of the half, and IWU submitted its lone goal with a minute left before halftime.

The second half sped by with five more tallies for UChicago in the third quarter and three in the fourth quarter to account for the 19-1 final.

Hardy ended up with a career-high six goals in the contest. She fired off 13 shots total, with numerous attempts hitting the post or crossbar. The sophomore also added three ground balls and two caused turnovers.

Swigart, senior Ali Sheehy and first-year Oliva Escoffery (one assist) recorded two goals each. Senior Lally Johnon dished out three assists with one goal and first-year Jane Chen posted one goal and two assists.

UChicago's offensive aggression was evidenced by a 45-7 advantage in the shots category. A 17-7 lead in draw controls set up the Maroon offense for success throughout. Junior Zoe Torok and senior Audrey Kaus snagged four draw controls each, while junior Charlotte Rapp and sophomore Lizzie Huesman grabbed three draws apiece.

The Titans committed nearly twice as many turnovers (30-16), with the Maroons racking up 14 caused turnovers. Five different players accumulated two caused turnovers. Ground balls went in favor of the hosts 31-18. IWU struggled on clears (10-for-24) while UChicago converted 13 of 15.

First-year goalie Rachel Keefe (16-1 record) got the win in 30 minutes of action between the pipes. She made two saves with one goal allowed. Juniors Emily Feigen and Kat Berritto (one save) took over in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.

NEXT GAME:

• Saturday, May 7 @ 6:00 PM – Carthage College at UChicago