KENOSHA, Wis. - Though the Carthage Firebirds took down the visiting Illinois Wesleyan Titans by 14 today, scoring over 20 goals for the third time in as many games to push its late-season win streak to three, the biggest joy of the afternoon came in honoring the team's six accomplished seniors. 

The Firebirds celebrated the contributions of seniors Alessandra Almendarez, Elizabeth Ayeni, Rachel Harris, Amber Moser, Elizabeth Oda, and Izzy Rahmel before this afternoon's game, sending them off with a resounding victory; the team also acknowledged the accomplishments of fifth-year senior Maddie Berni, who has left an indelible mark on the program. 

As the regular season comes to a close, a number of Firebirds hold top spots within the conference in a number of statistical categories. Senior Rachel Harris leads the conference in goals (58), points (85), shots (115) and is fourth in total assists, third in draw controls, fourth in points per game (3.41), second in points per game (5.0), and fourth in assists per game (1.59). 

First-year athlete Piper LeFevre is fourth in the conference in goals (50), six in goals per game (2.94), fifth in points (62), seventh in points per game (3.65), and fifth in shots (100). Classmate Kyleigh Higgins is also well-represented in the top ten in many categories, as the Algonquin native is second in assists (31), third in assists per game (1.87), fourth in draw controls (67), and sixth in draw controls per game (3.94). 

With the win, the Firebirds will slot in as the No. 3 seed in the upcoming 2023 CCIW Women's Lacrosse Tournament, and are thus set to head to Waukesha, Wisconsin to take on No. 2 Carroll (Wis.). The Pioneers got the best of Carthage a few weeks ago, leaving Art Keller Field with a resounding 17-4 victory. 



 

• Final score: Carthage 23, Illinois Wesleyan 9
• Location: Art Keller Field - Kenosha, Wisconsin
• Records: Carthage 11-6 (4-2 CCIW), North Central 7-10 (3-3 CCIW) 

 

• The visitors struck first, netting one just 35 seconds into the game to take an early 1-0 lead. 
• Two goals from first-year phenom Piper LeFevre, sandwiched around a pair of conversions from Rachel Harris, put Carthage out front 4-1. Carthage's three-goal advantage was short-lived, however, as the Titans scored three times before the period's conclusion to tie the game at four goals apiece after one. 
• Carthage and Illinois Wesleyan traded goals for the first half of the second period before the Firebirds put the petal to the metal. Carthage led 8-6 after the Titans converted at 6:18, but scored five of the next six goals to bring a firm six-goal lead into the half. Seniors Elizabeth Oda, Rachel Harris, and Maddie Berni played a role in four of those five goals.
• Wesleyan scored early in the third period to shrink Carthage's margin to five, but two goals apiece for seniors Maddie Berni and Elizabeth Oda and a single goal from senior Rachel Harris propelled Carthage to its largest lead of the afternoon. 
• Oda scored the first two goals of the final period for Carthage, helping push the Firebirds' lead to 11. First-year athletes Kyleigh Higgins and Shannon Heitschmidt salted things away, combining to score the game's final three goals as the Firebirds ran away with a 23-9 victory on senior day. 
• Carthage took 22 more shots than the Titans this afternoon, had a second half TO margin of +7 (+10 for the game), and collected 14 more ground balls - all showcasing the team's defensive activity and success in pushing the pace on the other end of the field. 

 

• Senior Elizabeth Oda scored a season-high six goals in the win, also picking up three ground balls. 
• Fellow senior Maddie Berni tallied five points, scoring four goals and recording an assist. Berni also collected three ground balls and tallied two caused turnovers and three draw controls. 
• Joining in on the senior day festivities was Rachel Harris, who led the team in points with eight. Harris scored four times and assisted four teammates - also tying for the team lead in draw controls with six. 
• Piper LeFevre (five), Kyleigh Higgins (four), and Shannon Heitschmidt (two) each logged multiple points in the win. 
• Alessandra Almendarez recorded her 400th career save in the win, becoming just the second goalkeeper in program history to reach the mark (Ali Gorman). "Sange" led the team in ground balls with five and recorded seven saves in goal. 
• Seniors Izzy Rahmel, Elizabeth Ayeni, and Amber Moser all saw the field for Carthage today. In her action, Rahmel picked up a ground ball and forced a Titan-turnover. 

"Incredible team effort to get the win today over Illinois Wesleyan," noted Carthage Firebirds interim head women's lacrosse coach Rebecca Congel. 

"Incredibly proud of the girls - from our draw team, to our defense, to our attack unit - every single group was firing on all cylinders. Really proud of [Alessandra Almendarez] for eclipsing 400 career saves today - what an incredible accomplishment."

"Really looking forward to our team being able to see Carroll again on Wednesday, and I'm really looking forward to continuing to grow on the field and hit our stride through the conference tournament."



 

• No. 3 Carthage will head to Waukesha, Wisconsin for a CCIW Women's Lacrosse Tournament Semifinal showdown with No. 2 Carroll (Wis.) on Wednesday, May 3.