KENOSHA, Wis. - The Carthage Firebirds women's lacrosse team got out to a blazing-hot start this afternoon against the visiting St. Mary's Belles and didn't look back, using crisp offense to secure a convincing 18-6 win. 

In the win, first-year student-athlete Kyleigh Higgins assisted eight teammates, tying her with Maddie Griffin (2017) for the most assists in a single game in program history. Rachel Harris also made some history today at Art Keller Field, surpassing 100 career goals. 



 

• Final score: Carthage 18, St. Mary's (Ind.) 6.   
• Location: Art Keller Field - Kenosha, Wisconsin. 
• Records: Carthage 2-1, St. Mary's 2-1.  

 

• Carthage was the first on the scoreboard with a goal from Elizabeth Oda, assisted by Piper LeFevre with 10:24 left in the first period. 
• The Firebirds went on a 6-0 run for the remainder of the first period. Oda scored three goals, Rachel Harris scored two, and Piper LeFevre scored one. 
• St. Mary's scored their first goal with a free-position shot with 12:32 left in the second period. 
• The Firebirds went on another 6-0 run in the second period. The dynamic duo of Maddie Bernie and Kyleigh Higgins were unstoppable, as Berni generated three goals in a row with assists from Higgins each time. The other goals were scored by Shannon Heitschmidt, LeFevre, and Harris. 
• St. Mary's picked up their second goal halfway through the third period, but Carthage's Rosie Nolan quickly answered with her first career goal with a few ticks left in the period. 
• The Belles scored their third goal in the fourth period, but again Carthage had an answer as Rachel Harris scored her third goal of the game. 
• Higgins produced eight assists during the game - matching her jersey number. 
• The Firebirds maintained their lead as time ran out on the visiting Belles, with Carthage securing an impressive 18-6 home victory. 

 

• Fresh off a CCIW Offensive Player of the Week nod, star-senior Rachel Harris was outstanding once again today; Harris recorded six goals and two assists en route to an eight-point performance. With her fourth goal on the day, Harris passed the 100-career goal mark. 
• Promising first-year student-athlete Kyleigh Higgins was the ultimate field general this afternoon, assisting eight Firebird goals - also scoring one on her own. Higgins tied the program record in single-game assists with eight, tying Maddie Griffin's mark from 2017. 
• Elizabeth Oda was sensational, scoring four goals on 11 total shots - also recording two ground balls. Oda now sits one goal away from 100 for her career. 
• First-year student-athlete Piper LeFevre was productive again, scoring twice and assisting two teammates. LeFevre also led the team in ground balls with four. 
• Maddie Berni and Shannon Heitschmidt each recorded three points against the Belles - with Berni scoring three times. 
• In goal, Alessandra Almendarez allowed only three goals in 51:40 of game time. Almendarez also saved ten shots. 

"Very excited with the way we played today," remarked head women's coach John Sung. "We had a great week of practice leading up to this game and it showed."

"Our team is definitely taking the next steps just to show growth. I'm excited for the growth of our younger players right now - watching Kyleigh Higgins get her eight assists. [Higgins] was a beast today, tying the program record in single-game assists."

"Watching some of our kids score their first goals - Rosie Nolan scored her first goal and was great for us today. It was great getting everyone valuable playing time, being able to run through some different sets. Our team really adjusted well to what [St. Mary's] was doing in the draw circle, which I thought made the biggest difference. Piper [LeFevre] really set the tone early and Maddie Berni came in and really helped sustain what we were doing in the draw circle."

"Really happy with this whole team effort, really excited to get into the heart of our season. With a game on Wednesday and a game on Saturday, we're really looking forward to taking those next steps."



 

• Carthage plays again in four days, taking on Concordia (Wis.) in its first night game of the season on Wednesday, March 8 beginning at 6 p.m.