Box Score

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan outscored Augustana 4-1 over the last 12:10 Saturday, defeating the Vikings 14-12 in the championship game of the CCIW Tournament. The Titans, who improved to 14-5 on the year, receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The loss was Augustana's first ever in 46 conference regular season and tournament games. Coach C.J. Durham's club ends the year 11-7 overall and as CCIW regular season champion at 6-0.
 
Sophomore Bailey Aasen (Park HS, Cottage Grove, Ill.) got the hosts on the board with a free position goal 2:20 in. Senior Olivia Mayer (Libertyville HS, Green Oaks, Ill.) scored twice in the next four minutes, as the Vikings went up 3-1. Claudia Richman tallied IWU's first goal.
 
The Titans answered with three straight goals to take their first lead. Amanda Best's free position shot put Wesleyan up 4-3 at 21:29 of the first half. Sophomore Christina McCabe (Maine South HS, Park Ridge, Ill.) answered to tie it, but IWU got four consecutive goals from four different players and led 8-4 with 13 minutes to play before halftime.
 
Senior Anne Hopkins (Mother McAuley HS, Chicago, Ill.) and Mayer each scored on a free position shot to draw Augustana to within 8-6, but Maggie Krause assisted on goals by Abby Kushina and Dani Engelbreit and the visitors led 10-6 at the break.
 
Behind Carla Bennett's (Marian Catholic HS, South Holland, Ill.) strong play on the draw, the Vikings rallied with five straight goals to start the second half. Augustana controlled the first six draws of the period, including three that Bennett grabbed herself.
 
Bennett's free position shot 13 seconds into the half cut the deficit to 10-7. Mayer and Hopkins each scored an unassisted goal and Mayer assisted on McCabe's game-tying tally with 21:27 to play. With 18:16 left, McCabe parlayed a Hopkins assist into a goal that gave the Vikings their first lead (11-10) since the 23-minute mark of the first half.
 
Hopkins controlled the ensuing draw—Augustana's sixth in a row—but the Vikings came up empty on several chances to extend the lead. At 12:10, Richman scored the equalizer off another Krause assist and Engelbreit's goal with 9:31 to play put the Titans up for good. Goals by Sam Bidlack and Sara Dust made it 14-11 IWU, before Mayer finished off the day's scoring with a goal at 1:50.
 
Mayer finished with five goals, an assist, six ground balls and two caused turnovers. McCabe scored three times and Hopkins—who finished the year with a school-record average of 7.43 points per game—had two goals and an assist. Bennett controlled a game-high six draws and sophomore Scooter Lopez (Mountain Vista HS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.) caused a game-high four turnovers.
 
Junior Madalynne Russell (Noblesville HS, Noblesville, Ind.) went the final 40:36 in goal, recording seven saves. She suffered her second loss in six decisions.