CHICAGO, Ill. - The Catholic women's lacrosse team took a trip to the Windy City to face off against No. 18 University of Chicago on Friday evening. The Cardinals fought hard against the nationally-ranked Maroons, but were defeated in the game, 18-8.

Catholic was hot to start the game, scoring three goals in the first and holding Chicago to a scoreless first quarter. Ellie Verrill was the first to strike for the Cardinals, scoring the first goal off a feed from Izzy Fiore just five minutes into game action. Henley Bredemann followed her lead, scoring Catholic's second goal, her 11th of the season. The quarter came to a close with a goal from Lindsay Sawyer, assisted by Tori Wilsey. The Cardinals were up three as they headed into quarter two. 

Chicago found their footing early in quarter two, getting on the board within two minutes with a goal from Jill Hooey. They went on to add three more goals, taking the lead from the Cardinals. Maddie McDevitt netted her first goal of the game, evening the score at four, but with 30 seconds left on the clock, the Maroons regained the lead, up 5-4 heading into the break.

Chicago brought their second quarter momentum into the new half, adding two more goals to their tally to extend their lead. Maggie Traynor contributed a goal to Catholic's total, fed by Fiore, but the Maroons responded with four straight goals to close out the quarter.

In the final quarter of play, McDevitt, Sawyer and Traynor all added another goal for the Cardinals, but the Maroons outscored them, notching seven goals of their own. Catholic was unable to regain the lead, falling to Chicago 18-8.

McDevitt, Sawyer, and Traynor picked up two goals apiece against the Maroons, while Fiore led in points with her three assists. Sawyer now leads the team with 12 goals this season, while Fiore maintains her lead with nine assists.

In goal, Alexandra Ragano led the team defensively, recording nine saves and three ground balls. Grace Button and Kelly Bunnick both played crucial roles on the Cardinal defense, each recording three ground balls while Button had four caused turnovers and Bunnick logged two. Olivia Daniels and Bredemann led in the draw control category with three apiece.

Up next, Catholic will return home and begin Landmark play. Their first conference match up will be against Moravian on Saturday, March 21. The game is set to begin at 5 p.m. on Carlini Field.