BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's lacrosse team welcomes the Firebirds of Carthage College to Tucci Stadium for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin contest Saturday, April 18. Action is set to begin at 3:30 p.m., and will be the backend of a doubleheader with the men's lacrosse team facing the Firebirds at 1 p.m.

Prior to the start of the game, the Titans will honor Mia Fiandaca for her All-American honor from a season ago. Fiandaca became the program's first to achieve the elite status, as she was named a USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American Honorable Mention after a stellar senior campaign. Fiandaca led the team with 36 goals, 38 points, 47 ground balls, 58 caused turnovers, and was second on the team in draw controls with 53. She was named the CCIW Defensive Player of the Year, was a First Team All-CCIW honoree for the second time in her career, and earned Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Second Team All-Great Lakes Region honors. Fiandaca represented the Green and White at the IWLCA Senior All-Star game, closing out her decorated career.

IWU (5-8, 1-1 CCIW) enters off a loss at Carroll University Saturday, April 11. Seniors Anelise DiGiovanni (Lockport, Ill.-Lockport Township) and Sadie Newton (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community), as well as sophomore Sophie Shore (St. Peters, Mo.-Francis Howell Central) all scored a goal in the game. Shore notched the team-lead in caused turnovers and draw controls, recording three and four, respectively. Senior Sarah Riepe (Aurora, Ill.-St. Francis) scooped up a team-best three ground balls, while sophomore Marli Brown (Kansas City, Mo.-Notre Dame de Sion) finished with 12 saves. 

DiGiovanni leads the team in points with 45, aided by a team-high 23 assists. Her 22 goals are the second-most on the squad, only trailing Newton's 26 scores. Shore is second with 33 points, while her 21 goals and 12 assists each rank third. Newton rounds out the top three with 29 points. Sophomore Maddie Gibson (Fenton, Mo.-Rockwood Summit) ranks second on the squad with 13 assists. 

At the X, Newton leads the team with 59 draw controls, followed by 34 apiece from Shore and Riepe. Newton also leads the team in ground balls (40), and is second in caused turnovers with 27. Having scooped up 35 ground balls this season, Brown sits in second on the squad, narrowly edging out Shore's 34. Shore leads the team with 31 caused turnovers, while Riepe rounds out the top three defenders with 21.

In goal, Brown holds a team-high 105 saves across 562:45 minutes between the iron. She brings in a .383 save percentage and a 4-6 record. Freshman Allison Vervynck (Overland Park, Kan.-Saint Thomas Aquinas) has logged 217:15 in between the pipes, making 41 saves on a .414 save percentage, and owns a 1-2 record.

The Titans will face the Firebirds (11-2, 2-0 CCIW) for the 14th time, with CC holding an 8-5 edge in the series. Carthage defeated Illinois Wesleyan twice a season ago, with the most recent matchup occurring in the CCIW Tournament Semifinal April 30, 2025, as the Firebirds advanced to the tournament championship with a 16-4 win. Newton tallied two goals for the Green and White, while Riepe led the way with a pair of ground balls. Lizzie Rymarcsuk totaled 13 saves in goal. CC most recently downed North Central College, 17-2, Saturday, April 11. 

A live stream of the game can be found here, while live stats can be tracked by clicking here.