After a four-game road stint, the University of Redlands women's lacrosse team returned home to the friendly confines at Farquhar Field on Wednesday to face off against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in a rival match-up. While never trailing in the contest, the Bulldogs cruised to a 15-9 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) victory in an impressive effort against the Athenas.
The Maroon and Gray jumped out to an early multi-goal advantage with a team hat trick less than three minutes into the action. Sophomore attacker Dulce Moll (Mercer Island, WA) provided two of her three assists for the game, while freshman attack Katy Miele (Rumson, NJ) scored twice to bookend the hot offensive start for the Bulldogs.
A back-and-forth battle ensued with the Athenas cutting the deficit to one with about 10 minutes to go in the first frame.
But junior midfielder Stephanie Garrett's (San Diego, CA) first netter of the half put Redlands up by a 5-3 advantage late in the stanza.
After CMS fired off the first goal of the second frame, the Bulldogs found the back of the net three times in a 46-second span to cap off a four-netter spurt for a 9-4 lead. Senior attacker Elizabeth Keilty (Yorba Linda, CA) spearheaded this offensive outburst by scoring twice and providing an assist on junior midfielder Sam Keary's (Mission Viejo, CA) goal.
From here, tough defensive stops and effective scoring kept the Bulldogs out in front for the 15-9 win over the Athenas. Freshman midfielder Lacey Bjorndal (Sherwood, OR) uncorked the eventual game-winner on a free-position shot with 23:08 remaining in the game.
Bjorndal finished the night with a team-high four goals, to go along with two draw controls and two ground balls.
Overall, Redlands controlled the draw-control battle with Garrett snagging half of the team's 20. Keary pulled in four of them while also forcing three caused turnovers and picking up four ground balls.
Sophomore goalkeeper Gigja Hollyday (Aliso Viejo, CA) and freshman goalkeeper Quinn Egan (Greenwood Village, CO) shared time between the pipes, combining for five saves in the win.
Redlands (8-5, 4-3 SCIAC) welcomes the Occidental College Tigers to Farquhar Field on Saturday, April 11, for Senior Night. The first draw is slated for 7 p.m.