After trailing by as many as three goals, the 19th-ranked University of Redlands women's lacrosse team rallied back to defeat the Panthers of Chapman University in Saturday's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) contest in Orange. The Bulldogs used a 7-2 run to recover the lead en route to the team's third consecutive victory of the campaign.
Freshman midfielder Ellen Holt (Portland, OR) opened the scoring less than a minute into the game when she connected on a pass from senior attack player Aimee Dewan (Alamo, CA).
Chapman's Victoria Wilkinson responded with back-to-back scores for her team's early lead midway through the first half.
Minutes later, the Bulldogs tied it up at two apiece when freshman midfielder Samantha Keary (Mission Viejo, CA) scored on an unassisted shot.
The Panthers created their largest lead of the game at 6-3 with four different players recording a goal through their 4-1 run that ended at the 6:26-mark.
Among the late-frame scoring, Redlands' senior midfielder Crystal Painter (Lake George, NY) and freshman midfielder Stephanie Garrett (San Diego, CA) found the back of the net about one minute apart to initiate a mid-game rally for the Maroon and Gray.
During the final 10 minutes of the stanza, the teams combined for 10 goals, with Chapman gaining a slight halftime edge at 8-6.
Despite facing a two-goal deficit, the Bulldogs took control of the momentum by firing off four unanswered netters to start the second half. Painter capped off her hat trick for the game by scoring twice during this 13-minute surge.
The teams traded scores through the final minutes, leading to Redlands' hard-fought 12-10 victory over Chapman.
Dewan registered the official game-winner on an assist from Painter at the 6:40-mark.
Amidst a nine-person scoring attack, Painter finished with a team-high three goals and two assists, while Garrett provided two netters for the Bulldogs.
For the Panthers, Wilkinson led all scorers with a five-goal performance. Abbey Messmer and Kelsey Mackin chipped in two goals apiece.
Junior midifelder Jacky Craycraft (Trabuco Canyon, CA) offered a well-balanced stat sheet with four draw controls, three ground balls, two caused turnovers and one goal.
Graduate student goalkeeper Ana Martinez (Pleasanton, CA) patrolled the Redlands net, making seven stops in her third win of the season.
Chapman's (2-1, 2-1 SCIAC) Anjali Thota racked up 11 saves on the night.
Redlands (3-0, 3-0 SCIAC) heads to Occidental College on Wed., Feb. 20, for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Tigers.