NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Elmhurst continued its strong season with a commanding 15-7 victory over North Central on Saturday afternoon at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.
Behind a historic performance from Eli Spence, the Bluejays moved to 12-2 overall and 3-1 in CCIW play. Spence finished with three goals and five assists, breaking the Elmhurst single-season points record with 95 points, surpassing the previous mark of 93 set by Mac Harden in 2019.
The Bluejays wasted no time asserting control, storming out to a 4-0 lead in the first quarter behind three goals from Hunter Hernandez and one from Spence. North Central answered with a surge of their own in the second quarter, briefly closing the gap to one goal, but Elmhurst's depth and defensive pressure proved too much as the Bluejays pulled away over the final 30 minutes.
Hunter Hernandez led the Bluejays with a season-best five goals and one assist. Spence's record-setting afternoon was highlighted by eight total points, while Fischer Son added a hat trick. Pete Grebe, Zain Crumedy, Kyle Taylor, and Cullen McManaman also scored for Elmhurst, which outshot North Central 42-32 and dominated the ground ball battle 24-18. Goalie Noah Mickelson recorded 11 saves to earn the win in net. Brenden Crouse contributed two assists, while Grebe also added an assist to round out the balanced offensive attack.
Elmhurst set the tone immediately in the opening quarter, overwhelming the Cardinals with relentless pressure and sharp execution. Hernandez opened the scoring less than three minutes into the game, and Spence quickly followed with a goal of his own just 17 seconds later. The duo continued their strong connection, as Hernandez added two more goals late in the quarter, both assisted by Spence. Elmhurst's defense clamped down, allowing just five shots on goal, all of which were saved by Mickelson, as the Bluejays carried a 4-0 lead into the second quarter.
North Central responded with a strong second quarter, scoring five goals to climb back into the contest. Wyatt Hunt broke through for the Cardinals at the 12:30 mark, and after Ty Nagy added another goal, Hunt struck again to pull North Central within one. Elmhurst temporarily steadied the momentum with a goal from Son, assisted by Spence, but the Cardinals continued to press. After goals from Cole Westphal and Nagy sandwiched a score from Grebe, Elmhurst clung to a narrow 6-5 advantage at halftime.
Elmhurst reasserted control coming out of halftime, dominating the third quarter by a 5-1 margin. Hernandez notched his fourth goal of the day early in the frame, assisted once again by Spence. Although Westphal tallied a man-up goal for North Central, it would be the Cardinals' only score of the period. Spence, fittingly, broke the program's single-season points record with an unassisted goal midway through the quarter. Son added another man-up goal, and late goals from Hernandez and Crumedy stretched Elmhurst's lead to 11-6 by the end of the third.
The Bluejays closed out the victory with another dominant performance in the final quarter. Son completed his hat trick less than two minutes into the frame, followed quickly by an unassisted goal from McManaman. After a brief North Central response courtesy of Westphal, Elmhurst slammed the door shut. Spence added one more goal to his record-breaking afternoon, and Kyle Taylor capped the scoring off a feed from Crouse with just over three minutes remaining. Elmhurst's defense limited North Central to only one shot on goal in the final quarter, while the Bluejays remained perfect on clears and forced six turnovers to secure the 15-7 final.
Elmhurst has earned the No. 2 seed in the 2025 CCIW Tournament, and will host third-seeded Carthage in the CCIW Tournament Semifinals next Wednesday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m. CT at Langhorst Field.
