Box Score

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Augustana hosted Carthage Wednesday night in a battle of CCIW women's lacrosse co-leaders and when the game at Thorson-Lucken Field was over, it was the Vikings who moved to the top of the league standings, defeating the Lady Reds 16-6. Augustana is now 15-1 overall this season and 5-0 in the conference. Carthage fell to 10-5 on the year and 4-1 in the CCIW.
 
Goals by senior Hilary Kargl (Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville, Ky.) and sophomore Anne Hopkins (Mother McAuley HS, Chicago, Ill.) staked the hosts to a 2-0 lead early, but their advantage was just 2-1 as the contest neared the halfway point of the first half.
 
With 15:28 to play, junior Kaylee Nolan started a string of four straight Vikings goals. Kargl scored again and senior Kelly Stelzer (Wheaton-Warrenville South HS, Wheaton, Ill.), who had assisted on Hopkins earlier goal, found the net two consecutive times. Hopkins returned the favor with an assist on Stelzer's first goal and Kargl assisted on the second. The Lady Reds' Mackenzie Day and Nolan traded goals near the end of the half and Augustana took a 7-2 lead to intermission.
 
The teams traded goals for the first 10 minutes of the second period, but the Vikings outscored Carthage 7-1 over the final 20 minutes to win going away.
 
Hopkins, Nolan and sophomore Olivia Mayer (Libertyville HS, Green Oaks, Ill.) each had two goals in the second half. Kargl had three assists after the break and Stelzer two.
 
Coach Meredith Newman got a balanced attack, getting four goals from Nolan, and three each from Kargl, Hopkins and Mayer. Kargl dished out a team-high four assists and Stelzer had three, to go with a pair of goals. Nolan also added to her team-high season totals with 10 draw controls, three ground balls and three caused turnovers.
 
The Augustana defense, led by seniors Bridget Conniff (Benet Academy, Downers Grove, Ill.), Emily Pavlik (Lyons HS, La Grange, Ill.) and Nattali Shelton (Wheaton-Warrenville South HS, Wheaton, Ill.), along with junior Cori Duncan (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.), limited Carthage to just 13 shot attempts. Junior Jenna Hofmann (Columbine HS, Littleton, Colo.) made seven saves in goal.
 
Newman's squad will wrap up the regular season with a visit to North Central on Saturday, April 25. The Cardinals are currently tied with Carthage, one game back of the Vikings in the CCIW standings.