Men’s Lacrosse Looks to Saturday Showdown at Elmhurst
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University men’s lacrosse team takes its five-game win streak on the road Saturday, April 15, for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin showdown with Elmhurst University. Game time of the key CCIW clash is scheduled for 1 p.m. at EU’s Langhorst Field.
The Titans are 8-3 on the year and 2-0 in the CCIW, winning eight of their last nine games. The Green and White is coming off a 22-4 win over Augustana College, April 8. On the flip side, Elmhurst is 9-3 on the year. The Bluejays have seen an up and down start to league play, entering the weekend 1-2 in the CCIW. Elmhurst fell at North Central, 17-11, in its last game, April 8.
Illinois Wesleyan has one of the top attacks in the CCIW, ranking second in the league with 17.09 goals per game. The potent scoring effort is led by the juniors Gage Black (Peoria, Ill.-Dunlap) and Ike Eastburn (Colorado Springs, Colo.-Cheyenne Mountain). Black ranks seventh in the league with 2.89 goals per game, while Eastburn is tied for eighth at 2.82 a contest. Senior Cason Kiichle (Vancouver, Wash.-Skyview) is third in the conference standings with 4.82 points per game behind his league-leading 31 assists. Connor Kichhle (Vancouver, Wash.-Skyview) is 10th in points and seventh in assists as part of IWU’s balanced offense.
Sophomore Nick Schroeder (Waunakee, Ill.-Waunakee) has been dominant at the X this season. He leads the conference with a .756 faceoff percentage and ranks third in the league with 9.57 ground balls per game. Freshman Michael Rocco (Libertyvill, Ill.-Libertyville) and sophomore Zo Lombardo (Elgin, Ill.-Saint Viator) have bolstered the faceoff dominance. Rocco ranks fourth in the league in percentage (.662) and ninth in ground balls (3.83), while Lombardo is eighth in faceoff percentage.
Defensively, co-captains Michael Campagna (Arlington Heights, Ill.-Saint Viator) and Blake Muscheweske (Excelsior, Minn.-Holy Family Catholic) pace the Green and White. Campagna is tied for fifth with 1.73 causes turnovers a game, with Muschewske checking in at eighth (1.55). Sophomore Colin Tervo (West Linn, Ore.-West Linn) has held steady in goal, racking up 83 saves on a .525 save percentage.
This weekend will be the 12th all-time meeting between the two squads, with IWU holding a 10-1 series advantage. Since Elmhurst won the initial meeting in double overtime back in 2014, Illinois Wesleyan has won 10 straight against the Bluejays.
Saturday’s conference showdown is slated for a 1 p.m. start at Elmhurst’s Langhorst Field. Live stats and a live stream of the game can be found via links on the men’s lacrosse schedule page of iwusports.com
