Dupage Policy Journal

Carroll's women's lacrosse team faced a narrow defeat in the NCAA Tournament first round against Lake Forest, concluding their season with a 13-12 loss. The match, held in Granville, Ohio, saw Carroll come close to securing their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory before two late goals by Lake Forest ended their seven-game winning streak.

This was Carroll's second appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their first since 2021. The team initially struggled as Lake Forest took a 5-0 lead after the first quarter. However, Carroll showed resilience with Elizabeth Wang scoring her 57th goal of the season, initiating a comeback that saw Elaina Phaneuf and Abby Tubbs contribute to narrowing the gap to 5-4.

Lake Forest's Ella Maher scored again before halftime, but Wang responded quickly, leaving Carroll trailing by just one goal at the break. In the second half, Sierra Skack and Phaneuf continued to push back against Lake Forest's lead. Grace Brockman played a crucial role by tying the program's single-season assist record with her contributions.

Wang put Carroll ahead for the first time during the third period, but Lake Forest regained control early in the final quarter. Samantha Hurd tied it up again for Carroll before Jenna Doctor gave LFC another lead. Wang equalized once more before Lauren Fricke scored what seemed like a decisive goal for Carroll with two minutes remaining.

However, Shannon Gibbons tied it up again for Lake Forest shortly after, and Ashley Carr secured victory for them with just 11 seconds left on the clock. Throughout the game, Lake Forest out-shot Carroll slightly and both teams committed numerous turnovers.

Elizabeth Wang led Carroll with five goals and an assist while Phaneuf added three goals. Goalkeeper Devon Duym made seven saves throughout the match. For Lake Forest, Maher scored three times and Emma Sharp provided five assists. Cecilia Adams guarded LFC’s net for all 60 minutes making nine saves.

Carroll ends their season just shy of matching last year's record of 14 wins but maintains an impressive combined record of 40-12 over three seasons.