The Illinois Wesleyan University men’s lacrosse team secured a place in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Championship after defeating Carthage College 19-6 on April 29 at Art Keller Field. The Titans improved their season record to 11-6 and will face Elmhurst University, the tournament’s top seed, in the final scheduled for May 2.
This result marks the ninth time in ten years that Illinois Wesleyan has reached the conference tournament championship game. The victory was led by sophomore Jack Vander Kooi, who scored six goals and provided an assist for a career-high seven points. Sophomore Jeremy Langosch contributed four goals, while junior Timothy McHugh recorded three assists and one goal.
Faceoff performance played a key role as senior Michael Rocco won 12 out of 13 attempts and sophomore Matt Arnold went 11-for-13. Defensively, seniors Billy McHugh and Karsten Nordlie made significant contributions with forced turnovers and ground balls collected. In goal, sophomore Jaymeson Zackery made eight saves with a .615 save percentage before senior Sam Scott took over to make three stops at .750.
The Titans established early control by scoring nine consecutive goals to start the game, building an insurmountable lead by halftime. Additional goals from several players extended their advantage throughout the second half as they maintained pressure on Carthage.
Illinois Wesleyan competes at the NCAA Division III level according to the official website. The team plays its home games at Tucci Stadium in Bloomington, Illinois, as reported by the official website. The program is a member of both NCAA Division III athletics and the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin according to its official site.
Looking ahead, Illinois Wesleyan will travel for Saturday’s championship match against Elmhurst University at Langhorst Field with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament at stake.
