WAUKESHA, Wis. - The Carroll University women's lacrosse team lost to second-place Illinois Wesleyan University 18-2 in a cold, blustery College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin season finale at Schneider Stadium on Saturday.
It was the sixth straight conference loss for the Pioneers, who ended the season 0-6 in the league standings and 2-15 overall.
Illinois Wesleyan, which improved to 5-1 and 12-5 overall, outscored Carroll 14-1 in the decisive first half - including six unanswered goals over the course of the opening eight minutes.
Sophomore attacker Sara Dust scored a game-high four goals for the Titans, who maintained a 23-3 shot-on-goal advantage - propelled by a 16-2 margin during the opening 30 minutes.
Graduate attacker Donna January (Andower, Minn.) scored an unassisted goal at the 8:26 mark of the first half as Carroll trimmed the deficit to 6-1.
"One of my goals coming into the season was to score in my final game so to see it happen was like icing on the cake," said January, who was the second-leading scorer on the team with 23 goals. "Even though it came in a tough loss, we all continued to play together and fought hard on every single possession. From start to finish, it was just a wonderful experience getting the opportunity to be a part of such an awesome team."
Sophomore midfielder Ariannah Ritter (Sun Prairie, Wis.) followed with an unassisted shot at the 17:40 mark of the second half.
"Win or lose, we definitely gained a lot of valuable experience over the course of the season," said Ritter, who finished the season as the team's leading scorer with 28 goals. "A lot of the girls had never played before so we consistently learned something from each and every game. Coming into the year, I really felt it was my role to step up, be a leader and try to improve upon my first season. My individual success was just the result of working hard during the offseason and carrying that mindset into the start of the year.
"As a team, we continued to work hard, grow and make a lot of progress as the season went on. With a lot of good, young recruits scheduled to come into the program, we're very excited about next year and the possibilities. We emphasize the importance of playing like a family and look forward to taking a lot more positive steps in the future."
Sophomore goalkeeper Shelby Schoob (Sun Prairie, Wis.) had five saves for Carroll, which committed 27 turnovers.
Carroll head coach Michael Hodge was pleased with how his young team made consistent progress throughout the season.
"It was a long, rough season but the kids showed their resilience from beginning to end," said Hodge, also noting the valuable contributions of January and senior midfielder Amanda Gibble (South Elgin, Ill.). "With the challenge of playing without any subs and being down a player at times, we  refused to make any excuses and attempted to rise to the occasion each time we stepped on the field. It didn't matter who we happen to be playing. We just wanted to go out there and do our best each and every time.
"It hurts to lose two high-caliber players and quality people like Donna and Amanda because of the great contributions they have made to the program. I'm very proud of their efforts and the leadership they have provided. 
"That said, we have a group 11 recruits who have committed to play here so we're excited to see what happens. If we continue to make strides and develop with each season, the sky is the limit as to what we can accomplish in the future."