MONTGOMERY, ILL. – The University of Northwestern women's lacrosse team traveled to Illinois to take on the Spartans of Aurora University in a Saturday afternoon matchup. This is the first-ever meeting between the two Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference (MWLC) opponents, and the Spartans took the contest by a final score of 13-10
 
With the win, Aurora improves to an even 3-3 overall and remains unbeaten in MWLC play at 2-0. Northwestern falls to 2-3 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
 
The Spartans jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of play, scoring four unanswered goals. Senior Hannah Shands (Hugo, Minn./Mahtomedi) finally got the Eagles on the board, finding the back of the net at the 18 minutes mark. Freshman Samantha Wiebold (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) added another goal for UNW less than a minute after, allowing the Eagles to pull within two. Aurora would go on another 5-0 run to finish the first half, taking a 9-4 lead into the break.
 
Annie Ellis (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) got the scoring going for UNW in the second half, scoring 10 seconds into the period. The Eagles continued to pressure the Spartans in the second half, scoring four goals to pull within three with 10 minutes remaining. The AU defense held strong to finish the game, as they held off the Eagles late push.
 
Leading Northwestern offensively, was Talia Sherry (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) with two goals and four assists. Shands notched three goals and an assist, while Ellis added a pair of goals as well. In net, senior Sydney Werlein (Appleton, Wis./Appleton North) tallied five saves in the loss.
 
Northwestern is set to host Cornell College on Friday, March 29 with draw time set for 7:00 p.m. For all things Eagle lacrosse, fans can visit www.unweagles.com.