While resetting the program's records for single-game assists and points, the University of Redlands women's lacrosse team dominated the Lady Reds of Carthage College (WI) by a score of 23-7 on Monday night. With 17 total assists, including four apiece from senior attack player Allie Hoffler (Draper, UT) and sophomore attack player Shannon Sunnergren (Livermore, CA), the Bulldogs destroyed the team's previous standard by five assists. This impressive play-making combined with 23 goals also led to a new school record of 40 points in a single contest.
Against the Lady Reds, the Bulldogs never trailed, with senior midfielder KK McCaslin (Portland, OR) firing off the first goal of the game after receiving a nice pass from Hoffler less than a minute into the action.
After Carthage evened the score, the Maroon and Gray answered 14 seconds later, when senior midfielder Jacky Craycraft (Trabuco Canyon, CA) nabbed the draw control and went straight to goal for the score.
The teams traded netters to make it two apiece, but Redlands responded with an 8-1 run to close out the half with a formidable 10-3 advantage. Five of these netters came off of impressive pass-plays for the Bulldogs, including a pair of assists from Sunnergren. Sophomore midfielder Stephanie Garrett (San Diego, CA) and junior attack player Liz Keilty (Yorba Linda, CA) provided two goals each during this scoring spree.
The Bulldogs continued to cruise during the second half, extending the lead to 14-4 with 22:31 left in the game. Sophomore midfielder Ellen Holt (Happy Valley, OR) registered two of the team's four netters during this stretch.
Although Carthage cut the deficit to eight by firing off back-to-back goals for the first time all game, Redlands stepped up with a 9-1 run through the final whistle en route to the record-setting triumph.
Overall, Craycraft and Holt led the Bulldog offense with four goals apiece, while McCaslin, Garrett, and Keilty each finished with a hat trick.
In addition, freshman midfielder Breanne Rideout (San Diego, CA) impressed off the bench with two goals, one assist, four ground balls, and three draw controls.
As a team, the Bulldogs nabbed 20 out of 32 draw controls, with Craycraft collecting seven and Garrett corralling five for the Maroon and Gray.
Redlands' overall defensive pressure was outstanding, as the Lady Reds coughed up 23 turnovers, with six of them being directly caused by the Maroon and Gray.
Freshman goalkeeper Gigja Hollyday (Aliso Viejo, CA) notched the win in 30 minutes of work, earning two saves for the Bulldogs. In addition, sophomore goalkeeper Izzy Baez (Zionsville, IN) patrolled the cage in the second half, preserving the victory while making five stops. The duo was nearly flawless in orchestrating the team's clears, going 14-for-17 in the game.
Redlands (7-3) returns to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition on Sat., April 5, when it hosts Occidental College in an important rematch with the Tigers at 7 p.m. Out-of-area fans may follow the action through live stats and streaming at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/redlands.portal#.