BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- The Augsburg University women's lacrosse team opened its 2026 season with a 20-10 nonconference loss at Illinois Wesleyan University on Sunday at Tucci Stadium. Augsburg University's offense was led by eight unassisted goals, but it was unable to overcome the Titans' five power-play goals.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Illinois Wesleyan 20, Augsburg 10
LOCATION: Tucci Stadium, Bloomington, Ill.
RECORDS: Augsburg 0-1 overall, Illinois Wesleyan 2-0 overall

GAME RECAP
The game began with Illinois Wesleyan taking the initial lead, as Sophie Shore scored the first goal at 12:40. The Auggies responded with Breya Sawyer finding the back of the net at 7:59, thanks to an assist from Emma Ryan, marking Sawyer's first goal of the season and her first as an Auggie after transferring from Saint Benedict. Despite this effort, the Titans extended their lead with goals from Lillie Keeton and Sadie Newton, the latter scoring from a free position. The quarter concluded with Illinois Wesleyan ahead 6-1.

Augsburg's Sawyer sparked a comeback attempt in the second quarter with a burst of two consecutive goals, narrowing the gap to 8-3. Sawyer added her third goal of the quarter at 2:02, as the Auggies fought to keep pace. However, the Titans responded with a strong offensive push, including several man-up goals, ending the quarter with a 14-4 lead over the Auggies.

Augsburg gained momentum early in the third quarter with Astrid Clem scoring on a free position shot at 13:05, marking her first goal of the season. This was followed by Emma Ryan finding the back of the net at 12:18 and Leila Klym adding another goal at 11:59, also her first of the season, to reduce the deficit. Despite these efforts, the Titans responded with a goal by Sarah Riepe at 9:56 and another by Lillie Keeton at 3:00, maintaining their lead. The quarter concluded with the Auggies trailing Illinois Wesleyan, 16-7.

Augsburg showed resilience in the fourth quarter with Abby McGovern opening the scoring for its side at 12:44, marking her first goal of the season. Despite the Titans extending their lead with multiple goals, the Auggies continued to push forward. Breya Sawyer netted her fifth goal of the season at 3:17, followed by Isabella Kohout scoring her first goal with just over a minute remaining, assisted by Sawyer. Sawyer's impressive debut performance included five goals and an assist. The game concluded with Illinois Wesleyan securing a 20-10 victory.

AUGSBURG PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
• Breya Sawyer: 5 goals, 1 assist, 1 draw control
• Emma Ryan: 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 draw controls, 1 ground ball
• Leila Klym: 1 goal, 2 ground balls, 2 draw controls
• Isabella Kohout: 1 goal, 4 ground balls, 2 caused turnovers
• Nicole Schuster: 8 saves, 6 ground balls

ILLINOIS WESLEYAN PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
• Maddie Gibson: 4 goals, 2 assists
• Anelise DiGiovanni: 3 goals, 7 assists, 3 ground balls
• Sadie Newton: 4 goals, 8 ground balls, 4 caused turnovers, 8 draw controls
• Allison Vervynck: 3 saves

UP NEXT:
Looking ahead, Augsburg University is set to host Augustana College (Ill.) at Edor Nelson Field in Minneapolis on Friday, March 6. The game will begin at 5 p.m.