Chicago, Ill — Illinois Tech Women's Lacrosse battled hard but ultimately fell 8-5 to St. Mary's (IN) at Stuart Field on Tuesday. The Scarlet Hawks capitalized on three power-play goals, but St. Mary's outshot them 23-13 to clinch the victory. Illinois Tech now holds a 0-2 record, while St. Mary's (IN) remains unbeaten at 2-0.

How It Happened

The game kicked off with Kelsey King from St. Mary's winning the initial draw control, but a quick turnover allowed Illinois Tech's Elise Wierzchon to snag the ground ball. St. Mary's struck first at 13:26 with a goal by King, assisted by Kathryn Kalinowski. Illinois Tech quickly responded, with Jenny Park leveling the score at 12:11. The Belles regained the lead with a Kalinowski goal at the 8-minute mark, assisted by Rachel Speckhard. Illinois Tech tied it up again when Ava Roll nailed a free position shot with 3:39 to go. Both teams wrapped up the quarter with two goals apiece, setting the stage for a nail-biting contest.

In the second quarter, it was a back-and-forth affair, with the Belles nudging ahead thanks to a Rachel Speckhard goal at 7:36. Illinois Tech's defense, anchored by standout goalkeeper Samantha Gargiulo, came up with several critical saves, including a key stop against Kelsey King's attempt at 1:27. With just 11 seconds on the clock, Ava Roll, assisted by Antonia Martinez, took advantage of a man-up situation to even the score. The quarter closed with both teams deadlocked at 3-3.

The third quarter saw Illinois Tech capitalizing on a St. Mary's yellow card, as Isabelle Niebler scored a man-up goal from a free position shot at 11:26. St. Mary's quickly answered with a goal by Lana Skibins at 8:09, assisted by Rachel Speckhard, tying it up once more. The Belles then surged ahead with a goal from Speckhard at 6:33, assisted by Skibins, and Annabelle Spruill added to their lead with a man-up goal from a free position shot at 1:38. The quarter ended with St. Mary's ahead 6-4, outscoring Illinois Tech 3-1 in this stretch.

In the final quarter, the Belles maintained their momentum, starting with a man-down goal by Rachel Speckhard, assisted by Alyssa Grant, at 8:43. Grant then scored herself at 3:16, with an assist from Speckhard, extending the lead. Illinois Tech answered with a goal from Elise Wierzchon at 1:25, but it wasn't enough to catch up. The game concluded with St. Mary's securing an 8-5 win.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

Ava Roll
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- 2 goals
- 2 shots on goal
- 1 free position goal

Samantha Gargiulo
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- 7 saves
- 23 shots faced

Isabelle Niebler
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- 1 goal
- 1 shot on goal
- 1 free position goal
- 1 assist

Antonia Martinez
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- 1 assist
- 4 shots

St. Mary's (IN) Top Performers

Rachel Speckhard
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- 3 goals
- 3 assists
- 6 shots

Annabelle Spruill
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- 1 goal
- 1 game-winning goal
- 6 shots

Kelsey King
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- 1 goal
- 2 shots on goal

Game Notes:
- This was the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Up Next

Illinois Tech will gear up to take on Hamline University this Sunday, March 1, at Stuart Field in Chicago, Illinois. The game start at 11:00am.