With patience and persistence, the University of Redlands women's lacrosse team returned to the win column on Wednesday night with a hard-fought 15-10 victory over the Saints of Marymount University (VA) in non-conference action. After a back-and-forth battle in the first half, the Bulldogs dominated the draw controls and utilized a well-balanced scoring attack to pull away in the second stanza.
The opening frame saw neither team gain more than a two-goal lead, with the Maroon and Gray rallying to force a knotted halftime score of six apiece. But junior midfielder Sam Keary's (Mission Viejo, CA) defensive effort impressed for the Bulldogs, as she recorded two of her three caused turnovers during the first 20 minutes of action.
With the score tied, the Maroon and Gray built a slight edge with a 3-1 run to start the second half. Junior midfielder Stephanie Garrett (San Diego, CA) initiated the scoring with a successful free-position shot at the 24:32-mark. Although the Saints answered with a free-position goal of their own, the Bulldogs came right back to notch a pair of netters in a two-minute span for a 9-7 advantage. Redlands showed off its talented youth during this stretch, as freshman attack McKenna Tychsen (Park City, UT) found junior midfielder Ellen Holt (Happy Valley, OR) on the first score, while freshman midfielder Lacey Bjorndal (Sherwood, OR) and freshman attack Katy Miele (Rumson, NJ) joined forces to convert the subsequent netter.
After Marymount cut the deficit to one, senior attack Elizabeth Keilty (Yorba Linda, CA) fired off back-to-back scores, including the eventual game-winner, to put the Bulldogs out in front with an 11-8 advantage with just over 11 minutes remaining.
Redlands capped off the strong second half with a 4-2 run, with Garrett and sophomore attack Dulce Moll (Mercer Island, WA) teaming up for the quick pass-and-score in reciprocating roles during the team's final two netters.
Garrett finished the night with an impressive line of three goals, three assists, six draw controls, five ground balls, and one caused turnover. Tychsen added two scores and two assists for the Maroon and Gray.
The Saints relied on a well-balanced attack with five players notching two goals.
Defensively, the Bulldogs looked to both goalkeepers to step up, with sophomore Gigja Hollyday (Aliso Viejo, CA) earning two saves and freshman Quinn Egan (Greenwood, CO) orchestrating a 7-for-8 effort on clear attempts.
Overall, the Maroon and Gray won the draw-control battle with a 16-11 margin, with a 11-to-3 difference in the second half.
Redlands (3-3) looks forward to hosting the University of Scranton (PA) on Monday, March 16, in its fifth-consecutive home contest of the season. First draw is slated for 7 p.m. on Farquhar Field.