Chicago, Ill. — Illinois Tech women's lacrosse, coming off back-to-back wins for the first time since the 2022 season, had a tough task in front of them on Sunday if they wanted to extend their winning streak to three games: taking on the 5-1 UW - La Crosse Eagles, who had just defeated Aurora on Friday night. The Eagles were too tough on this day, erasing an early 1-0 Scarlet Hawks lead en route to a 13-3 road victory at Stuart Field. Despite a late surge with two goals in the fourth quarter, the Scarlet Hawks couldn't overcome the Eagles' commanding first and third quarters, where they racked up a total of ten goals to seal their victory.
Illinois Tech falls to 2-6 overall, while the Eagles improve to 6-1.
How It Happened
The Scarlet Hawks struck first with
Antonia Martinez finding the back of the net at 13:07, giving Illinois Tech an early edge. However, the Eagles quickly answered back as Ava Schiltz tied it up at 11:38. The momentum shifted in favor of the Eagles with a flurry of four straight goals, led by Tori Katzenmeyer and Evie Brilz, who netted two, including one at 1:40. Turnovers and a clock violation hampered Illinois Tech, allowing the Eagles to end the first quarter ahead, 5-1.
In the second quarter, Wisconsin-La Crosse capitalized on more Illinois Tech turnovers, with Katzenmeyer scoring the quarter's lone goal at 14:01. Despite struggling with clearing attempts, Illinois Tech's goalkeeper
Samantha Gargiulo kept the team in the game with crucial saves, including stops against shots by Megan Maloney and Emily Wrobbel. The half concluded with the Eagles leading 6-1.
The third quarter saw the Eagles extend their lead as Schiltz scored at 13:33. Wrobbel took advantage of a player-up situation, scoring at 12:55, assisted by Katzenmeyer. Maloney added two more, with her second goal assisted by Anna Millard at 5:26. Katzenmeyer capped off the Eagles' scoring spree with a player-up free position goal at 1:51. Illinois Tech struggled to keep possession, with turnovers stifling their offensive efforts.
In the fourth quarter, Illinois Tech showed resilience as
Ava Roll scored at 12:02. Martinez, with an assist from
Isabelle Niebler, added another for Illinois Tech at the 5:00 mark. The Eagles answered with Adison Brown scoring at 4:08, followed by Paige Myers netting a goal just 14 seconds before the final whistle, assisted by Brown. Despite a late free position attempt by
Kelly Hitchcock that went wide at 00:51, the game concluded with each team adding two goals in the final quarter, leaving the Eagles with a decisive 13-3 win.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
Antonia Martinez
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- 2 goals
- 5 shots
- 4 shots on goal
Ava Roll
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- 1 goal
- 1 shot on goal
- 1 unassisted goal
Kelly Hitchcock
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- team-high 7 ground balls
- team-high 3 draw controls
Samantha Gargiulo
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- 11 saves
- 32 shots faced
Eagles Top Performers
Megan Maloney
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- 2 goals
- 7 shots
- 1 player-up goal
Ava Schiltz
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- 2 goals
- 2 assists
- 2 shots on goal
Tori Katzenmeyer
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- 3 goals
- 1 assist
- 4 shots on goal
Evie Brilz
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- 2 goals
- 1 assist
- 3 shots on goal
Game Notes:
- Illinois Tech is now 0-2 all-time against the Eagles.
- Martinez has scored at least 2 goals in three straight games.
- Hitchcock, in her first game back since the 2024 season, recorded a team-high 7 ground balls.
Up Next
Illinois Tech will host Edgewood University at Stuart Field on Tuesday, March 24 at 7 p.m.
