Chicago, IL – The Illinois Tech women's lacrosse team made history on Saturday as it competed in its first-ever lacrosse game against the Loras College Duhawks.  The crowd was not deterred by the sub-30-degree weather as Scarlet Hawk fans filled the stands and showed their support for the entire game.  In the end, the Hawks fell 12-3, but showed a lot of promise for such a new program. 

The Hawks had been preparing for this moment since the Fall and the excitement was clear.  They got off to a dreamy start as they took a 1-0 lead just one minute into the game.  Chelsea Badiola got credit for the very first Illinois Tech lacrosse goal.  The assist came from Ginta Sutkus.

The Duhawks fought back and after tying the game at 1-1, they looked to Kaitlyn Kutsch who would prove to be a problem for the Tech defense.  She would score five straight goals and finish the afternoon with nine total. 

After heading into halftime with a 9-1 deficit, the Scarlet Hawks weren't done for the day.  The Badiola-Sutkus duo struck again halfway through the second half as Sutkus fed Badiola for her second goal of the season.   Florencia Carrerou also got in on the scoring action as she added another Illinois Tech goal with 2:10 remaining.

Scarlet Hawks goalie Taylor Thompson made some great saves and finished the day with 15 total saves in her debut. 

"I'm encouraged by the improvement of the team.  They have exceeded my expectations to this point and I'm excited to see how we will continue to grow over the course of the season," said head coach Kirk Lamitie.  

After another home showdown on Sunday, the Scarlet Hawks take to the road to take on Benedictine University on Tuesday night at 7:00pm.