Contact: Tyler Bremner, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

April 30, 2025 – The North Central College women's lacrosse team competed in its first College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament since the 2019 season, where the No. 1 seeded Carroll University Pioneers outlasted them in 11-7 fashion.

North Central's (9-7, 2-3 CCIW) Alyssa Rose started strong, dashing Carroll's (12-3, 5-0 CCIW) first two shot attempts within 45 seconds of beginning. Over the next two minutes, the Pioneers scored first, but Lucy Culig answered over a minute later to keep the game tied.

This trend continued for the next four minutes with Culig answering the Carroll goal for a 2-2 score with over eight minutes to go. 85 seconds later, Oster followed suit with help from Rachel Lawrence to put the Cardinals ahead for the only time. However, North Central fell victim to an unanswered five-goal run over the rest of the period for Carroll to go up 7-3.

Tori Leonard broke away under three minutes into the period to pass to Culig for her third goal of the match. With the Cardinals inched back within three scores, the Pioneers' Grace Brockman sent a shot past Rose to go ahead 8-4 with over eight minutes left in the period. Anaise Kaufman responded before halftime to inch the Cardinals back within three.

Entering the second half, Abby MacKenzie fired a goal past Devon Duym with help from Anna Williamson to push North Central back within two. Carroll responded with another goal with nine minutes remaining, but Oster answered the challenge again for her second goal of the game to mark the Cardinals down 9-7 into the final period.

The final period saw the Pioneer defense lock out the Cardinals, allowing only two shots from the North Central offense while scoring an unanswered two goals to seal the match at 11-7.

The Cardinals were outshot by the No. 1 seeded Pioneers 14-30, but created an impressive seven goals out of 11 shots on target. Culig led the effort with three goals with one draw control, while Oster followed with two goals and two groundballs. Defensively, Anaise Kaufman led the way with two caused turnovers and two groundballs.

North Central's net was protected by both Rose and Oran Wilkins. Rose secured the net for the first 14 minutes, allowing six goals while saving three, but Wilkins saved an impressive 11 shots while allowing five over 46 minutes.

The Cardinals complete the season with a 9-7 overall record and a 2-3 CCIW regular season record. They marked their first CCIW Tournament appearance since the 2019 season.

Download the free North Central Cardinals app, available for iOS and Android devices, to receive up-to-the-minute news, scores and updates on your favorite North Central teams. Click HERE for more information.