WAUKESHA, Wis. - Clara Jelacic finished with a team-high five goals, nine draw controls, three caused turnovers and one ground ball as the second-seeded conference co-champion Carroll University women's lacrosse team defeated third-seeded three-time defending conference tournament champion Illinois Wesleyan University 11-5 in the opening round of the prestigious College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin Tournament at Schneider Stadium on Wednesday night.
It was the fourth consecutive victory for Carroll, which improved to 11-2 overall in making its third league postseason tourney appearance.
The victory took on historical significance as it was the first CCIW Tournament victory in program history for the Pioneers.
Carroll, guided by CCIW Coach of the Year Michael Hodge, will travel to meet top-seeded conference co-champion University of Chicago, 8-1 overall, in the championship game on Saturday at 6 p.m..
Chicago defeated fourth-seeded Carthage College 18-6 in the other semifinal Wednesday evening.
The Pioneers, who improved to 8-1 on their home field this season and 22-5 over the course of the last four years, scored eight unanswered goals in what proved to be a decisive first half.
Carroll has outscored its opponents 199-106 this season.
The Pioneers, who recently earned a No. 2 ranking in the West region, have maintained a strong, balanced scoring attack, generating 11 or more goals in each of their victories.
Carroll has combined to outscore its opponents by a statement-making 122-34 advantage in the first half in its 11 victories (highlighted by a program-record 17 goals in the nonconference home-opener versus Edgewood on March 6, 2021).
Jelacic, a first-team all-conference selection, lived up to her reputation as one of the premier players in the league by scoring four times in the first half to help ignite the critical run.
Michaela Johnson, who also earned first-team all-conference accolades this season, followed with three goals (including the Pioneers' first goal of the night on a free-position shot at the 19:47 mark), three assists, three ground balls, two draw controls and one caused turnover.
Katrina Hardin, a second-team all-conference selection, contributed two goals for Carroll, which outshot the Titans by a commanding 28-19 margin (maintaining a 21-13 shot-on-goal advantage).
Courtenay Karls, a second-team all-conference selection, collected one goal, six ground balls, five draw controls, two caused turnovers and one assist for the Pioneers, who dominated in draw controls with a 16-2 advantage. Jenna May had two assists and Alyssa Scharff added an assist.
Rebecca McDaniel registered eight saves in playing the entire 60 minutes.
Maggie Torres finished with two goals, six ground balls and five caused turnovers for Illinois Wesleyan, a regular-season league co-champion which ended the season 10-3 overall with two of its losses coming to the Pioneers.
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