Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

Mar. 19, 2024 - Pulling ahead for good with six straight third-quarter goals, the North Central College women's lacrosse team overcame an early deficit Tuesday to defeat Illinois Institute of Technology, 14-12, at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.

The Cardinals fell behind early as the Scarlet Hawks (2-4) outscored the hosts, 4-0, in the first seven minutes of play. North Central trailed, 5-2, at the end of the opening period, and closed the gap to 5-4 with goals by Abby MacKenzie and Reese McMullen before two goals in a 39-second span by IIT's Faith Busche padded the visitors' lead to 7-4 with 5:30 to go. The Scarlet Hawks wound up taking an 8-5 advantage into halftime.

North Central (3-3) opened its comeback effort soon after play resumed, as McMullen scooped up a ground ball and fed MacKenzie for a goal with 13:23 on the clock. Annelise Oster followed with a score with 10:03 on the clock to narrow the gap to 8-7, igniting a three-goal run in just 79 seconds which wound up giving the hosts the lead for good. MacKenzie controlled the ensuing draw and fed Rachel Lawrence for a game-tying score with 9:20 to go in the period. After another draw control, MacKenzie drove through the IIT defense for the go-ahead goal with 8:44 to play in the third.

MacKenzie scored again just more than two minutes later and Lucy Culig added a free-position goal to extend the lead to 11-8. The Cardinals led by at least two goals the rest of the way.

North Central, which outshot the Scarlet Hawks, 35-22, was led by MacKenzie's five goals and five ground balls while Culig scored three times and Madison Smith finished with six draw controls. 

The Cardinals host Beloit College (2-2) Saturday, with a scheduled start time of 1:00 p.m. Click HERE for the full 2024 schedule and live coverage options.

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