ELMHURST — Carthage came up just short in a high-scoring road contest at Elmhurst, falling 15-12 despite a spirited fourth-quarter rally. The Firebirds scored five of the final seven goals but could not erase a large early deficit.

• Final score: Elmhurst 15 - Carthage 12
• Location: Elmhurst, Illinois – Langhorst Field
• Records: Elmhurst 10-0 (1-0 CCIW), Carthage 9-3 (0-1 CCIW)

 

• Elmhurst opened the game on a tear, scoring five goals in the first 11 minutes to take an early 5-1 lead.
• Alec Gern and Ben Krok each found the net in the first quarter to help Carthage cut into the deficit, trailing 5-2 after one.
• The Firebirds pulled within 5-3 on a goal by Jake Westland midway through the second quarter, but the Bluejays responded with two straight goals to stretch the lead to 7-3.
• Gern added his second of the day in the third, and Carthage tallied four goals in the period, including scores from Andrew Johnson, Krok, and Westland.
• Despite the push, the home team continued to answer, building a 13-7 advantage heading into the final quarter.
• Carthage found its spark in the fourth, igniting a 5-1 run behind goals from Collin McClure, Sam Wallace, Westland, Johnson, and Krok to trim the deficit to 14-12 with under five minutes remaining.
• The Bluejays sealed the win with a final goal at the 2:41 mark, halting the Firebirds' momentum.
   

• Ben Krok and Alec Gern each recorded a hat trick for Carthage, while Andrew Johnson and Jake Westland had two. 
• Krok and Jacob Cameron had two assists in the contest along with Chad Kohlmann adding eight ground balls. 

"Really proud of our guys. Elmhurst is a very good team, and Spence is the best player in the region. We got off to a slow start, trying to figure out what might work against them and also trying out some new guys in the offense. But after that, we were actually the better team. Need to do a better job in a couple of other areas, but we can compete against that team."

• Carthage heads to Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday, April 12 starting at 1 p.m.