Carthage 10, DePauw 7
GREENCASTLE - The Carthage women's lacrosse team traveled to Greencastle, Indiana, to take on DePauw Saturday afternoon. In a non-conference matchup and back-and-forth battle that featured multiple lead changes, the Firebirds used a dominant second period and timely fourth-quarter goals to secure the win. Behind standout performances from Auggie Claridge, Piper LeFevre, and Rosie Nolan, Carthage showcased its offensive depth and composure to start the season 1-0.


FIRST PERIOD

• The Tigers struck first at 14:24 to take a 1-0 lead. Claridge and LeFevre responded for the Firebirds with goals at 12:40 and 7:44, giving Carthage a 2-1 advantage. DePauw answered with two late goals to regain the lead, 3-2, heading into the second period.

SECOND PERIOD

• The Firebirds dominated the second period, outscoring the Tigers 3-1. Claridge tied the game 3-3 with an unassisted, man-up goal at 12:56. LeFevre then scored back-to-back goals to give Carthage a 5-3 lead. DePauw added one goal late in the period, but the Firebirds carried the momentum into halftime.

THIRD PERIOD

• Nolan opened the second half with an unassisted goal at 12:33 to extend the Firebirds' lead to 6-4. The Tigers responded with two goals to tie the game before Claridge netted another unassisted goal with 57 seconds remaining in the period, putting Carthage back on top, 7-6.

FOURTH PERIOD

• After a scoreless stretch to open the fourth, Nolan found the back of the net at 8:08 off an assist from Kelsey O'Brien to make it 8-6. DePauw cut the deficit to 8-7 at 4:53, but the Firebirds quickly responded. Reggie Ross scored off an assist from Claridge, and LeFevre added another goal from Shannon Heitschmidt to seal the 10-7 victory for Carthage.

• LeFevre led the Firebirds with four goals.
• Claridge finished with three goals and one assist. 
• The Firebirds took 24 shots, 12 being on goal.
• Xochitl Delvale-Vera finished with six saves.

"In the second half, we really started pulling it together and winning draws and capitalizing on possessions", said head coach Maddie Berni. "Our defense and Xochitl really locked down on their end. Goff really stepped up on defense and on ground balls. Shannon really helped keep possession and take care of the ball on attack. We have things to work on, but we took care of business!"



The Firebirds will return to action at home on Art Keller Field on Saturday, February 28, at 1 p.m., to take on UW-La Crosse. If you are unable to make it to the game, catch all the action live on our Carthage Athletics YouTube page or https://cciwnetwork.com/. For more information, visit our athletics.carthage.edu.