Men’s Lacrosse to Tangle with Transylvania
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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University men’s lacrosse team returns home for a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin tilt against Transylvania University Saturday, April 22. The Titans, who have won six straight, will take on the Pioneers at noon inside Tucci Stadium in the first leg of a doubleheader with the IWU women’s lacrosse team.
The Green and White’s record sits at 9-3 on the season and 3-0 in the CCIW. IWU most recently edged Elmhurst, 18-15, on the road, April 16. Transy is 3-9 overall, but has climbed to 2-1 in league play. TU enters the matchup off a 13-7 loss to North Central, April 16.
The game, which is a rematch of last season’s CCIW Tournament Semis, will mark the fourth meeting between the two all-time. Transy holds a 2-1 lead in the series, taking the first and then the most recent bouts. Illinois Wesleyan’s win came in overtime during the 2022 regular season.
Illinois Wesleyan has one of the top attacks in the CCIW, ranking first in the league with 19.67 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 tied for seventh in the league with 2.67 goals per game, while Eastburn is tied for third at 3.67 a contest. Senior Carson Kiichle (Vancouver, Wash.-Skyview) is sixth in the conference standings with 4.67 points. Senior Connor Kichhle (Vancouver, Wash.-Skyview) is 10th in points per game and fourth in assists as part of IWU’s balanced offense. Junior Bob Boone (Los Angeles, Calif.-Notre Dame) is eighth in the CCIW with 2.0 assists per contest.
Sophomore Nick Schroeder (Waunakee, Ill.-Waunakee) has been dominant at the X this season. He leads the conference with an overall .734 faceoff percentage and ranks third in the league with 9.00 ground balls per game. Freshman Michael Rocco (Libertyvill, Ill.-Libertyville) ranks seventh in the league in percentage (.662) and eighth in ground balls (3.83).
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 sixth with 1.67 causes turnovers a game, with Muschewske checking in at tied for eighth (1.42).
Saturday’s conference showdown is slated for a 12 p.m. start. Live stats and a live stream of the game can be found via links on the men’s lacrosse schedule page of iwusports.com
