ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - Sophomore midfielder Clara Jelacic (Waukesha, Wis.) scored a game-high five goals with an assist, won five draw controls, caused a turnover and converted a free-position shot as the high-powered Carroll University women's lacrosse team defeated longtime traditional league powerhouse Augustana College 14-3 in a College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin game at Thorson-Lucken Field on Saturday afternoon.
It was the fourth consecutive victory for Carroll, which improved to 3-0 in the highly-contested conference standings and 9-2 overall.
With the statement-making road performance, the Pioneers defeated Augustana for the second time in program history - remaining in a three-way tie for first place and in the thick of the conference title race with four regular-season games remaining.
The Pioneers are scheduled to host fifth-place Carthage (1-2) on April 17, defending league champion and co-leader Illinois Wesleyan (3-0) on April 20, co-leader University of Chicago (3-0) on April 24 and finish the regular season on the road versus fourth-place North Central (3-1) on April 27.
Carroll outscored the Vikings 9-1 in what became a decisive first half, overcoming an early 1-0 deficit by scoring nine unanswered goals over a 22-minute stretch.
Senior midfielder Ariannah Ritter (Sun Prairie, Wis.) followed with a hat trick and an assist for Carroll, which outshot the Vikings by a dominant 36-12 margin - maintaining a 25-6 shot-on-goal advantage. Sophomore midfielder Courtenay Karls (Waukesha, Wis.) contributed two goals with an assist, three groundballs, won five draw controls, caused a turnover and was successful on a free-position shot.
Sophomore midfielder Michaela Johnson (Mukwonago, Wis.) had two goals with three assists, won five draw controls, caused a turnover and also converted a free-position shot for the Pioneers, who have combined to outscore their first three conference opponents 54-3. Senior defender Delaney Pruitt (Ringwood, Ill.) and sophomore midfielder Alyssa Scharff (Nashotah, Wis.) each added a goal. Freshman attacker Rachel Fordham (Waukesha, Wis.) had two assists.
Senior goalkeeper Shelby Schoob (Sun Prairie, Wis.) registered three saves in playing the entire 60 minutes.
Senior midfielder Carla Bennett, senior attacker Bailey Aasen and senior attacker Christina McCabe each scored a goal for Augustana, dropped to 0-4 in conference and 4-9 overall.