While scoring 20 goals for the second time this week, the University of Redlands women's lacrosse team rolled to a 20-12 victory over the visiting Maroons of the University of Chicago on Thursday night. Although the visitors scored the first goal of the game, the Bulldogs never trailed again and used a lucrative first half to propel them to the win on Farquhar Field.
Redlands jumped out to a 4-2 lead within the first 10 minutes of action, as senior midfielder Hanna Morford (West Linn, OR) scored back-to-back goals before first-year midfielder Ashley Rende (Mission Viejo, CA) and sophomore attacker Paige Erlanger (Las Vegas, NV) each found the back of the net.
Although UChicago evened the tally with a pair of successful free-position shots, the Bulldogs quickly answered with four consecutive goals through the 12:26-mark of the frame. This time, first-year midfielder Sydney Louie (Lafayette, CA) led the offensive outburst by supplying two goals and one assist in a five-minute span.
The Bulldogs closed out the final 11 minutes of the first with a 5-2 run to bring their halftime advantage to 13-6. In addition to Morford's second hat trick of the game, Louie and Erlanger each added to the Maroon and Gray's firepower.
Defensively, Redlands gained a quality performance from first-year goalkeeper Annie Van Norstrand (Littleton, CO), who racked up seven of her 11 saves during the first half. In addition, senior Alexis Pound (Washington, DC), sophomore Kaley Holland (Seattle, WA), and first-year Kaitlyn Lesko (Dacula, GA) helped limit the Maroons' opportunities with their stifling defense.
During the second stanza, the teams battled more closely, with Redlands earning a slight 7-6 advantage on offense en route to the 20-12 victory. Pickering led the charge by notching three more goals, with senior attacker Kelsey Ruhl (Seattle, WA) delivering the assist on each of them. First-year attacker Joren Fettig (Bend, OR) and junior attacker Charly Walter (Bethesda, MD) scored one goal apiece as well.
Redlands (6-4, 0-4 SCIAC) returns to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action on Saturday, March 30, when it hosts Whittier College on Military Appreciation Night. First draw is set for 7 p.m. on Farquhar Field.
