LA CROSSE, Wis. - After picking up a big win over Lake Forest on Wednesday, the Firebirds women's lacrosse team fell in an overtime heartbreaker in La Crosse. 



 

• Final score: UW-La Crosse 12, Carthage 11 (F/OT)
• Location: Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex - La Crosse, Wisconsin
• Records: Carthage 7-4, UW-La Crosse 7-2 

 

• UW-La Crosse struck first on its home turf, taking advantage of a free position attempt at the 13:57 mark of the opening period. 
• Maddie Berni, after an outstanding performance against Lake Forest last week, scored first for Carthage - evening things up at one apiece.
• The Eagles scored the game's next two goals, forcing a Carthage timeout with a 3-1 advantage. Coach Congel's timeout sparked her team, as the Firebirds rattled off three-consecutive goals to end the first period - leading 4-3 at its conclusion; Carthage's goals came from the sticks of Kyleigh Higgins, Maddie Berni, and Elizabeth Oda. 
• Lacrosse tied the game at 4-4 at the 10:32 mark of the second period and scored twice more to retake the lead heading into halftime. Carthage failed to score in the second period, allowing the Eagles to go ahead 6-4. 
• Goals from Rachel Harris and Elizabeth Oda brought the game back into a deadlock before La Crosse answered with a goal off of a free position attempt with just over a minute remaining in the third period. UW-La Crosse led 7-6 at the end of the period. 
• Following a goal from the Eagles to open the final period, Carthage scored three unanswered goals to retake the lead with eight minutes remaining in the contest. A goal from Piper LeFevre gave the Firebirds a two-goal lead before the home team answered - scoring twice within a 30-second span to bring the score to 10-10. 
• Maddie Berni scored with 2:37 left on the game clock to give her team a one-goal lead, but a late conversion from La Crosse sent the game into overtime. 
• Carthage fell 12-11 in overtime as La Crosse's Ava Schiltz delivered the game-winner with 2:12 on the clock. 

 

• Maddie Berni scored four goals in the loss on eight shots on goal while also recording an assist, two ground balls, and three draw controls. 
• Rachel Harris netted two and tallied two ground balls, two caused turnovers, and five draw controls. Elizabeth Oda also scored three goals for the Firebirds. 
• Hannah Kim and Alessandra Almendarez tied for the team lead in ground balls with four. Almendarez was one save short of tying her career-high, denying 17 shots in the contest. 

"Really hard fought game on both ends," remarked Carthage College interim head women's lacrosse coach Rebecca Congel. 

"I definitely think it's given us a lot of room to grow. [Alessandra Almendarez] had a great game - she kept us in it with 17 saves."

"Really excited to get back to the drawing board and clean up a few different parts of our game. We're on to the next one."



 

• The Firebirds will play one more on the road before returning home to Art Keller Field for a pair of games in two weeks. Carthage's next contest is with the defending CCIW champions - UChicago - at Stagg Field Complex in Chicago. The Firebirds and Maroons will play on Wednesday, April 12 starting at 6 p.m.