The University of Redlands women's lacrosse team jumped back in the win column with a resounding 16-3 victory over the visiting Tigers of DePauw University (IN) on Tuesday evening. The Bulldogs scored six unanswered goals and never looked back in a stellar performance on Farquhar Field. Furthermore, senior midfielder Lacey Bjorndal (Sherwood, OR) snagged the 96th draw control of her career to eclipse the Bulldogs' single-season record by two.
Bjorndal also initiated the Bulldogs' proficient offense by firing one past the DePauw goalkeeper with 25:48 to go in the first half. Bjorndal hauled in the subsequent three draw controls, which ultimately led to three Bulldog goals by the talented trio of sophomore attacker Sadie Pickering (Tacoma, WA), junior midfielder Hanna Morford (West Linn, OR), and first-year Kaley Holland (Seattle, WA).
Two more draw controls by Bjorndal eventually translated into a 6-0 Bulldog lead, with Morford scoring in back-to-back fashion.
Although DePauw pulled one back late in the first half, Redlands headed into the halftime break with a comfortable 6-1 lead.
The Tigers jumped out to a solid start in the second half, as the teams traded scores to make it 8-3 with 25:30 to go. Junior attacker Kelsey Ruhl (Seattle, WA) found an open Pickering for the score, while Bjorndal dished out an assist on sophomore attacker Charly Walter's (Bethesda, MD) goal.
Nonetheless, Redlands' tough defense stymied DePauw for the remainder of the game, as the Maroon and Gray cruised to the running-clock victory with an 8-0 run. While setting the stage for a relentless effort by the Bulldogs, Morford, Pickering, and Ruhl each caused the Tigers to turn over the ball. In addition, first-year defender Elise Avery (Truckee, CA) and junior defender Alexis Pound (Washington, DC) provided excellent minutes in the Maroon and Gray's final third. Finally, senior goalkeeper Quinn Egan (Greenwood Village, CO) did her part by making six saves in a complete-game effort.
With 6:14 left in the game, Bjorndal hauled in her record-breaking draw control, which allowed Head Coach Suzette Soboti to call a timeout to commemorate the milestone.
Morford finished with seven goals, while Pickering offered four. Bjorndal provided two goals, two assists, and 11 draw controls in a memorable night.
Redlands (6-6) heads to Chapman University on Saturday, March 31, for a 7 p.m. Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match against the Panthers.
