Carthage 11, Whitman 6
WALLA WALLA - The Carthage women's lacrosse team returned to action Thursday evening for a non-conference match-up against Whitman, to open their spring break trip in Washington. The Firebirds controlled much of the contest offensively, finishing with 29 shots and 11 goals while holding Whitman to six goals.


FIRST PERIOD

• Carthage jumped out to an early lead midway through the opening quarter. Auggie Claridge opened the scoring at the 10:08 mark to give the Firebirds a 1–0 advantage. Just over a minute later, Rosie Nolan extended the lead to two with a goal assisted by Kelsey O'Brien at 8:33.
• Whitman responded late in the period, scoring twice in just over a minute. The teams ended the first quarter knotted at 2–2.

SECOND PERIOD

• Carthage regained momentum early in the second. Kyleigh Higgins scored at 13:34 to put the Firebirds back in front. Whitman answered two minutes later, tying the contest again at 11:15.
• The Firebirds then strung together two quick goals from Claridge, scoring at 10:46 and again at 8:33 to give Carthage a 5–3 lead. Whitman trimmed the deficit late in the half with 1:52 remaining, sending Carthage into halftime ahead 5–4.

THIRD PERIOD

• Defense dominated the third quarter as both teams limited scoring chances. Carthage managed the lone goal of the period when O'Brien scored at the 10:06 mark, pushing the Firebirds' lead to 6–4.
• Carthage's defense and goalkeeper Xochitl Delvale-Vera helped keep Whitman off the scoreboard in the quarter, preserving the two-goal advantage heading into the final period. 

FOURTH PERIOD

• Whitman briefly closed the gap early in the fourth when scoring at 14:17, making it a 6–5 game. Carthage quickly responded with a strong offensive surge.
• Claridge scored at 10:39 to spark a run of three straight goals, followed by Shannon Heitschmidt at 8:50 and Piper Lefevre at 7:02 to extend the lead to 9–5. Whitman added a goal at 4:42, but the Firebirds sealed the game late.
• Claridge tallied her fifth goal of the day at 3:09, assisted by Lefevre, and O'Brien capped the scoring with a goal at 0:24 off an assist from Higgins. 

• Claridge led the Firebirds with five goals.
• O'Brien added two goals and an assist.
• In goal, Xochitl Delvale-Vera helped anchor the defensive effort as Carthage limited Whitman to six goals and recorded 10 saves in the contest.
• Carthage recorded 29 total shots and 20 shots on goal.

"Was a really fun win," said head coach Maddie Berni. "All aspects of the field were clicking. Our offense really started to come together this game! Super proud. Xochitl had a great game in net! Ready for the next!"



The Firebirds will return to action in Washington for the second game of their spring break trip, facing Whitworth on Friday, March 13, at 6 p.m. PST. For more information, visit our athletics.carthage.edu.