The Benedictine University women's lacrosse team returns to the Village of Lisle/Benedictine University Sports Complex this weekend after five straight matches away from home. BenU will host non-conference foe Elmhurst College on Friday night and conference opponent Concordia University Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon.
Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference play began for the Eagles (0-7, 0-1) last Sunday with a 13-2 loss at Beloit College.
Hannah Smith made seven stops in net for Benedictine, while Becca Gullet let BenU in goals (two) and ground balls (six).
Friday: vs. Elmhurst (3-4), 7:30 p.m.
Elmhurst will look to move to an even .500 on the season against Benedictine on Friday night. The first-year program had to wait a couple of weeks to begin its inaugural season, as the first two games on the schedule (one of them vs BenU) were postponed due to weather. Once game action began on March 6, the Bluejays fell to Beloit, Albion College, John Carroll University, and Aurora University to start 0-4.
However, the Bluejays have turned the corner since, winning three consecutive matches over the past week. The team won its first-ever contest on March 21, taking down St. Mary's College (Indiana) at home 14-5. Elmhurst then won two straight road matches, defeating Cornell College 8-6 and Loras College 12-4 on back-to-back days. Friday night's contest will be Elmhurst's third in four days.
Sunday: vs. Concordia Wisconsin (2-3, 1-0), 1:00 p.m.
Members of the MWLC, the Falcons ride into the weekend after a convincing 19-2 win over Loras to being the conference schedule on March 21. Before facing BenU, CUW will oppose Alma College in Michigan the evening prior, creating a quick turnaround with travel for the Falcons.
CUW is competing in its third season in the MWLC. Last year, the Falcons finished in a three-way tie for second in the conference with an 8-2 MWLC record, falling in the semifinals of the MWLC Tournament at Carthage College in three overtimes to finish with a 12-5 overall record. This will be the first time the Falcons will play in Lisle, as the Falcons defeated the Eagles in Wisconsin in both 2013 and 2014.
