After breaking an early tie, the University of Redlands women's lacrosse team exploded for five consecutive goals in the second half, which propelled it to a solid 15-8 triumph over the visiting Panthers of Chapman University on Saturday night.
With the win and one game remaining, the Bulldogs clinch the No. 1 seed of the upcoming Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship Tournament, which includes a first-round bye for the top two teams.
During Saturday's contest, the Panthers found the back of the net within the first three minutes when Allie Kontny scored on a pass from Kelsey Mackin.
However, less than two minutes later, Redlands' freshman midfielder Stephanie Garrett (San Diego, CA) evened the count with her first of three netters on the night.
After the teams traded scores, the Bulldogs took control by firing off three straight goals for a 5-2 lead with 11:30 left in the first frame. The Maroon and Gray offense was in its groove, as evidenced by a pair of successful pass plays that resulted in scores. First, senior midfielder Crystal Painter (Lake George, NY) found junior midfielder KK McCaslin (Portland, OR), and then junior attack player Allie Hoffler (Draper, UT) connected with Painter. Garrett capped off the Bulldog hat-trick performance by rocketing a free-position shot past the Chapman goalkeeper.
The half continued with back-and-forth scoring, with Redlands holding a slight 6-4 advantage at the break.
However, the second half saw the Maroon and Gray erupt for five consecutive goals through the first 13 minutes of the stanza, resulting in a solid 11-4 advantage. Garrett changed roles in the first score of this stretch by offering an assist to McCaslin, before freshman midfielder Samantha Keary (Mission Viejo, CA) headlined the effort with two goals in a 20-second span.
Despite facing a significant deficit, the Panthers rallied back to score three straight netters over the next four minutes to slightly close the gap with 13:35 remaining.
After Head Coach Suzette Soboti talked it over with her Bulldogs, Redlands settled down to finish the game on a 4-1 run, with junior midfielder Jacky Craycraft (Trabuco Canyon, CA) scoring two of her game-high four netters, while Hoffler added another goal and an assist.
Beyond her goals, Craycraft provided three ground balls, three draw controls, and two caused turnovers.
Garrett led all players with six draw controls while also contributing three scores and one assist. Painter added four draw controls, two assists, and one goal for the Maroon and Gray.
As a team, Redlands won the draw-control battle with 16, compared to Chapman's nine. In addition, the Panthers coughed up 21 turnovers, with eight of them being caused by the Bulldogs.
Graduate student Ana Martinez (Pleasanton, CA) came up with five big saves while patrolling the cage in a complete-game performance.
Redlands (12-4, 8-1 SCIAC) hosts rival Occidental College for Senior Night on Thursday, April 18, at 7 p.m. on Farquhar Field.