Women's Lacrosse Flew to the NACC Semifinals
By Student Assistant MaryGrace Cleinmark
MEQUON, Wis. – The CUW women's lacrosse team ended their 2022 season against Aurora 25-3 in the semifinals. The Falcons finished their season with an overall record of 2-10 (.167) and a conference record of 2-4 (.333). Their efforts ended them with a regular season finish of fourth place in the Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC).
The Falcons' two big wins of the year occurred towards the end of the season against Beloit and Marian.
The Blue and White soared past Beloit with a 9-3 victory. In the first quarter, the Buccaneers took control with a 3-1 advantage. CUW came back and did not allow another goal for the Buccaneers and scored six more goals to close the door. Freshman Madisen Myers (Rosemount, Minn.) picked up her first collegiate victory with eight saves. The Falcons held a 28-25 advantage in shots. Sophomore Olivia Niego (La Grange, Ill.) led the game with four points on two goals and two assists. Sophomore Anna Gong (Phoenix, Ariz.) and sophomore Eliana Fuchs (Brookfield, Wis.) claimed three points each.
CUW took the victory over the Marian Sabres with a score of 11-7. The Falcons edged out the Sabres in shots and ground balls with 37-26 and 27-12. Marian tied the matchup at seven in the third quarter. The Falcons did not slow up and were able to pull away in the fourth quarter with three goals. Freshman Kami McCardle (Jackson, Wis.) capped off the fight with a man-down goal with 1:32 left on the clock to take the 11-7 victory. Eliana Fuchs and Olivia Niego led the flock in goals both with three and Sophomore Andra Hansen (Seattle, Wash.) led in assists. Freshman Sydney Dyba (Crown Point, Ind.) had ten saves. Anna Gong and Sophomore Savannah Schweiger (Eagle, Wis.) led the Blue and White in ground balls.
Natalie Mackrell was named the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Defensive Player of the week for the week of April 25 – May 1, 2022.
The Falcons had four All-NACC selections. Junior Colleen Gilligan (Colborne, Ont.) secured First-Team selection. Eliana Fuchs and Olivia Niego claimed Second-Team selection and Savannah Schweiger claimed Honorable Mention honors.
The CUW women's lacrosse team will look to approach the doorstep of the NACC Tournament in the spring of 2023.
