Box Score CHICAGO – The University of Chicago women's lacrosse team was tested by Carthage College throughout Saturday night's College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament final. But the Maroons came up with timely offense down the stretch to secure a 21-13 victory.
With the win, the No. 20-ranked Maroons (17-1 record) earned the CCIW's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Championship field. The Firebirds dropped to 16-3.
UChicago was making its third-straight appearance in the CCIW Tournament finals. The squad previously won the 2021 title over Carroll University. Earlier this season, UChicago dealt Carthage its lone CCIW loss by a 17-8 score on April 20.
The Firebirds opted for a change in offensive strategy for the rematch. The visitors regularly cleared out the right side and went for isolation plays time after time in an effort to beat the defender one-on-one or draw a foul. UChicago ended up being whistled for nearly twice as many fouls (30 to 16) and were also given four yellow cards on the evening. Carthage created good looks throughout the contest and was most effective in the second quarter, scoring four-straight goals in a four-minute span to pull within 7-6.
The visiting side scored on the opening possession of the game, but the Maroons responded back with five unanswered goals over the next 12 minutes. Sophomore Lulu Hardy was responsible for her team's first two goals. The Firebirds converted a free position shot in the closing seconds of the quarter to make the score 5-2.
First-year Olivia Escoffery and junior Becky Van Kirk both found the back of the net in the first 47 seconds of the second quarter. Van Kirk won the draw control and raced straight to goal to score at 7-2.
After Carthage chopped down the lead to 7-6, the Maroons rediscovered their offensive mojo. Junior Zoe Torok's shorthanded strike with six minutes left broke the skid, and first-year Evelina Swigart sandwiched a pair of goals around another by Hardy. UChicago ultimately went into halftime with an 11-7 advantage.
A lower scoring third quarter ensued. Home goals came from Torok, senior Ali Sheehy and Hardy to push the lead to 14-9.
The Firebirds kept the game interesting, however. Consistent wins on the draw control allowed the visitors to run the clock down and continue their iso attacks. With UChicago not seeing a lot of the ball, Carthage got back within striking distance at 14-11 midway through the fourth quarter.
A renewed sense of urgency paid dividends, as the Maroons ran away with the game from that point on. The hosts went on a critical 7-1 run to put the game away. Swigart, Escoffery and Hardy each tallied two goals during that span. Once the final buzzer sounded, UChicago had officially claimed its second-straight trip to the postseason.
On the stats sheet, UChicago held a 41-29 lead in shots, a 22-16 margin in draw controls and a 19-17 edge in ground balls. The Maroons were a perfect 15-for-15 on clears compared to 15-for-20 by the Firebirds. UChicago committed three more turnovers (16-13).
Hardy paced the scoring effort with six goals, one assist and three ground balls. Swigart was at the top of the sheet as well with five goals and two assists. Escoffery tallied four goals and Torok netted a hat trick to go with four draw controls. Van Kirk nabbed a game-high seven draw controls and junior Charlotte Rapp grabbed five of her own. First-year Jane Chen handed out a career-best five assists to go with three ground balls. Senior Lally Johnson added one goal and three assists.
First-year Rachel Keefe played all 60 minutes in goal to improve to 17-1 on the season. She made six saves overall.
The NCAA women's lacrosse bracket will be revealed in an online selection show on Monday, May 9 at 9:30 AM (CT).
