The University of Redlands women's lacrosse team squared off against the No. 22 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Athenas on Saturday night at Farquhar Field. The Bulldogs battled to earn a 4-2 lead and ultimately kept the game close in the first half. Unfortunately, CMS' second-half adjustments led to a 7-16 loss for the Maroon and Gray.
After CMS charged out to a 2-0 lead, Redlands quickly regrouped with a four-goal spurt over the next six minutes, which forced the Athenas into a two-goal deficit for the first time this season in NCAA Division III competition. Sophomore attacker Sadie Pickering (Tacoma, WA) bookended the outburst with a pair of free-position goals. In addition, senior midfielder Lacey Bjorndal (Sherwood, OR) converted a goal off an assist by junior attacker Kelsey Ruhl (Seattle, WA) before junior midfielder Hanna Morford (West Linn, OR) found the back of the net off a flick pass from first-year attacker Amanda Levandowski (San Diego, CA).
Despite the Bulldogs' stingy defensive effort, their 4-2 advantage was short-lived, as CMS successfully leveled the score with back-to-back netters by the 7:42-mark of the first half.
When the teams headed into the mid-game intermission, the Athenas held a slight, 6-4 lead.
During the second half, the Bulldogs continued to battle but struggled to hold off the persistent visitors, who closed out the game with a 10-3 scoring margin. For Redlands, Bjorndal scored once more and Morford provided two goals, with her final netter coming off an assist from Pickering.
Overall, Redlands impressed on the draw controls by hauling in 20 out of 25 of them. Bjorndal and Morford tag-teamed for eight apiece, while Pickering added four.
First-year defender/midfielder Kaley Holland (Seattle, WA) paced the Maroon and Gray with three caused turnovers.
Redlands (7-8, 3-5 SCIAC) welcomes Occidental College to Farquhar Field for Senior Night on Wednesday, April 18, for a 7 p.m. conference tilt.