BLOOMINGTON, ILL.—The Carthage College men's lacrosse team opened their 2018 CCIW slate against Illinois Wesleyan University at Tucci Stadium in Bloomington, Ill. on Sunday afternoon. Winnipeg, Manitoba natives Andy Szun and Colin Poitras each contributed a hat trick for the Red Men, but it wasn't enough as Illinois Wesleyan cruised to a 30-10 victory.
 
Carthage held advantages over the Titans in shots (23-20) and clears (10-10/10-12) throughout the final 30:00 after being down 18-5 in the score column at halftime. Illinois Wesleyan was the victim of 11-of-18 penalties assessed in the contest while Carthage was flagged seven times for 8:00.
 
Ben Morgan registered a pair of goals for the Red Men while Andrew Krom and Brody Ilstrup each tacked a goal. Luke Seydel, who registered two assists in the contest, made his anticipated return for the Red Men after missing the previous four games to injury. Canyon Smith registered two of Carthage's five caused turnovers in the contest.
 
Red Men goalkeeper Zerik Rodriguez notched 12 saves in 58:11 of work, while his counterpart McGuire Mynatt stopped 14 shots for the Titans. Illinois Wesleyan's Peter Trunk led all scorers in the game with seven goals and two assists for nine points.
 
The loss drops Carthage's record to 8-4, 0-1 CCIW while Illinois Wesleyan improves to 8-3, 3-0 CCIW.
 
Illinois Wesleyan 30, Red Men 10
 
Szun, Ilstrup and Krom each tallied a goal for Carthage within the opening 15:00, but James Maibuecher and Bailey Marth each netted a hat trick in the frame to propel Illinois Wesleyan to an 8-3 edge.
 
Colin Poitras tallied a pair of goals for Carthage in the second quarter, which included the team's second man-up score. It didn't faze Illinois Wesleyan as they cruised to an 18-5 halftime lead. The Red Men added five more goals in the second half, but couldn't close the gap in a 30-10 loss.
 
Carthage will square-off against Augustana College (Ill.) at Art Keller Field on Saturday, April 14 at 2:00 p.m.