Chicago, Ill — Illinois Tech Women's Lacrosse  (2-7, 0-1) opened their NACC conference campaign against Edgewood University (2-7, 1-0), falling 11-3 on Tuesday at Stuart Field. Jenny Park was able to find the back of the net twice for the Scarlet Hawks in the contest. 

How It Happened

Edgewood jumped ahead early in the first quarter. Kerry Costello kicked things off for the Eagles at 13:34, thanks to an assist from Ashlynn Coleman. The Eagles doubled down with a goal by Paige Janicki at 9:51, set up by Kailey Smith. Illinois Tech called a timeout to regroup and responded with Ava Roll scoring a free position goal at 8:45, bringing the score to 2-1. Despite strong efforts and key saves from Scarlet Hawks' goalkeeper Samantha Gargiulo, the quarter concluded with Edgewood leading 2-1.

The game saw a brief tie at 2-2 in the second quarter when Jenny Park fired in a free position shot for Illinois Tech at 12:19, equalizing after an early Edgewood goal. However, Edgewood answered with a flurry of goals, beginning with Kailey Smith at 7:29, assisted by Christina Eloe. Eloe herself scored at 7:09, followed by another from Smith at 4:18, assisted by Lauryn Brown. Despite Gargiulo's repeated saves, Edgewood held a 5-2 lead at halftime.

Edgewood asserted control in the third quarter, adding three unanswered goals. Kailey Smith opened the scoring at 12:05, followed by a free-position goal from Kerry Costello at 8:48. Costello struck again at 0:51, with help from Kamryn Ibinger, finishing a commanding quarter. Illinois Tech battled hard, but turnovers hindered their comeback efforts, and they ended the quarter trailing 8-2.

In the fourth quarter, Illinois Tech started strong with a draw control and made good on a player-up chance. Jenny Park scored at 13:05, courtesy of an assist from Antonia Martinez. Edgewood responded swiftly as Christina Eloe netted a free position goal at 12:27. The Eagles continued their offensive run with goals from Kailey Smith at 6:23 and Kerry Costello at 5:51. The Scarlet Hawks struggled to break through Edgewood's defense, with Lauryn Brown repeatedly testing Gargiulo, who stood firm with several critical saves. The game wrapped up with an unsuccessful free position attempt by Park as time expired, cementing an 11-3 victory for Edgewood.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

Jenny Park
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- 2 goals
- 3 shots
- 2 shots on goal

Ava Roll
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- 1 goal
- 1 shot on goal

Samantha Gargiulo
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- 16 saves
- 37 shots faced

Antonia Martinez
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- 1 assist
- 1 shot on goal

Edgewood Top Performers

Christina Eloe
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- 2 goals
- 1 assist
- 7 shots on goal

Kailey Smith
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- 4 goals
- 1 assist
- 6 shots on goal

Kerry Costello
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- 4 goals
- 5 shots

Game Notes:
- Illinois Tech has a 1-5 record against Edgewood, dropping the last five matchups.
- The team recorded 16 goalie saves, surpassing their season average of 10.88.
- Samantha Gargiulo achieved a season-high with 7 ground balls.

Up Next
Illinois Tech will host Milwaukee School of Engineering at Stuart Field in Chicago, Illinois. The game is scheduled for Saturday, March 28 at noon.