With heart, skill, and determination, the University of Redlands women's lacrosse endured an up-and-down season that resulted in a 10-8 overall mark and a tied-for-third-place finish in the increasingly-deep Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). The Bulldogs also produced another All-American and collected multiple awards to cap off the 2015 season on a high note. Furthermore, their youthful roster gained substantial experience that bodes well for the future of the women's lacrosse program.
After battling against a talented Bates College (ME) squad in a season-opening loss, the Maroon and Gray quickly rebounded to finish out the month of February with back-to-back victories over conference foes, Occidental College and Whittier College. On the heels of a strong, defensive effort, the Bulldogs captured a 14-8 victory over the Tigers, as freshman goalkeeper Quinn Egan (Greenwood Village, CO) stepped up with eight saves in the second half. Offensively, sophomore attack player Dulce Moll (Mercer Island, WA) and junior midfielder Stephanie Garrett (San Diego, CA) each unleashed four scores for the Maroon and Gray's triumph. While never trailing against the Poets, Redlands fired off an impressive 13-5 victory, with four players registering two or more goals to highlight the Bulldogs' multi-faceted offense. Freshman midfielder Lacey Bjorndal (Sherwood, OR) made her rookie presence known by registering an opening-frame hat trick for Redlands.
After the Maroon and Gray endured a slight hiccup when it dropped a pair of conference games to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges and Chapman University, it eagerly returned to the win column on March 11 with a hard-fought 15-10 victory over the Saints of Marymount University (VA). Following 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. While leading by one with 15 minutes to go, senior attack player Elizabeth Keilty (Yorba Linda, CA) fired off back-to-back scores, including the eventual game-winner, to propel the Bulldogs to success.
From here Redlands went on an impressive tear that included three non-conference wins and a critical overtime victory against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges. During this stretch of games, the Bulldogs notched consecutive 18-7 wins over the University of Scranton (PA) and SUNY New Paltz. In the first of these contests, Garrett led the charge with a seven-goal outburst to allow the Bulldogs to break open a five-all tie with 13 unanswered goals and prevail over Scranton. In the subsequent lopsided win, Redlands fired off seven-consecutive goals, including three from freshman attack McKenna Tychsen (Park City, UT), to create a comfortable cushion en route to the quality triumph over New Paltz.
This success carried the Maroon and Gray through an important outcome against CMS on March 21. Amidst a tight and intense battle, the Bulldogs rallied in overtime to secure a hard-fought 15-13 victory while handing the Athenas their second-consecutive loss of the season. During the extra frame, Bjorndal and Garrett came up clutch with critical scores for Redlands, while the Bulldog defense kept the Athenas off the board in the final six minutes of competition, providing the necessary edge for the victory.
Redlands then headed to Colorado College for a two-game swing against the host school and Carthage College (WI). While scoring 18 goals for the third time in their last four games, the Bulldogs cruised by Carthage in a solid performance. After giving up the first goal of the game less than two minutes into the action, the Maroon and Gray erupted for nine-straight scores to create substantial momentum for the impressive non-conference victory. Unfortunately, the outcome against Colorado was quite different, as Redlands suffered a loss for the first time in six games.
During the month of April, the Bulldogs battled through an up-and-down showing against SCIAC foes, as each result was the opposite of the last and concluded the season on a 3-4 run. After dropping a heartbreaker in overtime to Chapman, the Maroon and Gray regrouped for its second win of the season over rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps with a 15-9 performance. While never trailing, Redlands unleashed a hat trick in the first three minutes of action, as Moll provided two of her three assists for the game and freshman attack Katy Miele (Rumson, NJ) scored twice to bookend the team's hot offensive start. During the second half, 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. Keilty spearheaded this offensive outburst by scoring twice and providing an assist on junior midfielder Sam Keary's (Mission Viejo, CA) goal.
Redlands next took on Occidental on April 11 for Senior Night in the squad's final home game prior to the SCIAC Tournament. After celebrating the careers of senior midfielder Emily Dalrymple (Snohomish, WA), senior defender Robin Taylor (Poway, CA), and Keilty, the Bulldogs battled throughout the physical and competitive contest but faced a second-half deficit that proved to be too much, resulting in the 12-16 loss.
Nonetheless, the Bulldogs blasted the Whittier Poets in their next contest by erupting for 13-consecutive scores to take a commanding lead and never looked back en route to the 17-3 victory. Garrett and Dalrymple combined for nine goals to headline the awesome display.
On April 20, Redlands took on the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens in a strange tale of two halves to wrap up the round-robin schedule against conference foes. Although the Bulldogs battled to take a late lead in the first half, they suffered through a significant scoring drought in the second period, which resulted in the 9-14 loss.
With the defeat, Redlands slipped into a tie for third place in the standings with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Chapman. However, the SCIAC's tiebreaker determined that the Bulldogs became the No. 4 seed for the SCIAC Tournament and faced off against fifth-seeded CMS in a home contest. While never trailing, the Bulldogs knocked off the familiar foes for the third time this season, using eight different goals-scorers in their 13-7 victory. Leading by one with 20 minutes to go in the opening stanza, Redlands finished out the frame with a 4-1 run for a comfortable 7-3 lead at the break. Redlands showcased its balanced attack during this spurt, as Dalrymple, Keary, sophomore midfielder Breanne Rideout (San Diego, CA), and sophomore midfielder Ellen Holt (Happy Valley, OR) each fired one past the Athena goalkeeper. Defensively, the Bulldogs raked in 31 ground balls, as compared to CMS' 21, with Taylor and Bjorndal grabbing five apiece in the triumph.
That win sent the fourth-seeded Redlands lacrosse team into the semifinal of the SCIAC Tournament where it squared off against the top-seeded Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens. In an incredibly defensive showdown, the Bulldogs left it all on the field in a hard-fought, high-quality match, but suffered a heartbreaking 6-7 loss in triple overtime. Sophomore goalkeeper Gigja Hollyday (Aliso Viejo, CA) patrolled the Redlands cage while making eight saves and grabbing three ground balls during the extended contest.
Although there were no other competitive opportunities for the Bulldogs, they were well-represented on the post-season awards list. Highlighting the All-SCIAC accolades for the Maroon and Gray, Garrett collected her second-consecutive SCIAC Offensive Athlete of the Year honor. In addition, Keary and Moll earned First-Team recognition, while Bjorndal and Dalyrmple landed on the Second Team. Furthermore, Tychsen represented the Maroon and Gray on the All-SCIAC Sportsmanship Team.
Garrett, Moll, and Keary also represented the Bulldogs among the IWLCA All-Region teams, with Garrett receiving her third-consecutive First-Team nod in as many years. Moll also landed on the First Team for her inaugural such award, while Keary gained Second-Team honors.
Finally, Garrett became a member of the IWLCA All-America Second Team for back-to-back All-America honors in her third year with the program.
Academically, the Maroon and Gray boasted seven student-athletes among the SCIAC All-Academic Team due to their scholastic achievement as members of the women's lacrosse program. Dalrymple, Garrett, Hollyday, Keary, Rideout, Taylor, and junior defender Emily Bilenduke (Breckenridge, CO) each received recognition form the conference for this accolade.
Overall, the 2015 season boded well for the Bulldog women's lacrosse team as evidenced by memorable contests, exciting wins, and multiple accolades. Although saying goodbye to the seniors is always difficult, the Maroon and Gray holds high expectations of the returning competitors as they set the stage for the program's success with their tenacity, depth, and talent. With Head Coach Suzette Soboti leading the way, Redlands looks forward to contending for the conference title once again and vying for another appearance at the NCAA Championships.