Despite the chilly conditions at Farquhar Field, the University of Redlands women's lacrosse team's offense heated up in its home opener on Friday night. After breaking a 2-2 tie, the Bulldogs ramped up their play to produce an impressive 17-5 victory over the visiting Whittier College Poets in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action.
After the teams traded scores through the 13:26-mark of the first half, the Bulldogs gained back-to-back goals from freshman midfielder Sadie Pickering (Tacoma, WA) to put the home team up by a 4-2 advantage. She converted a free-position shot, before sophomore midfielder Hanna Morford (West Linn, OR) connected with her on a sweet pass.
Although Whittier pulled one back with a successful free-position goal, Redlands quickly answered with another Pickering score with 1:54 remaining. Less than a minute later, Morford found freshman midfielder Abby Filsinger (Verona, WI), who fired off a goal for the Bulldogs' 6-3 lead.
Following a last-second score by the Poets, Redlands met for halftime with a 6-4 advantage.
Head Coach Suzette Soboti's plan of attack for the second half resulted in a dominating performance by the Maroon and Gray. Redlands uncorked 11 goals to pull away with the impressive victory. Pickering set the tone early by scoring less than a minute into the frame, while junior midfielder Lacey Bjorndal (Sherwood, OR), senior attack player Dulce Moll (Mercer Island, WA), and Morford combined for the next five netters through the 14:40-mark of the contest. Pickering and Morford also added assists for the Bulldogs. During this stretch, the Maroon and Gray also reeled in three of the four draw controls to initiate the scoring drive.
From here, Redlands continued to cruise with stellar play on both ends of the field. Among the additional scorers, sophomore attack player Kelsey Ruhl (Seattle, WA), freshman defender Chelsea Sahami (Millbrae, CA), and sophomore attack player Adi Fellows (Albuquerque, NM) each contributed a goal.
Redlands gained an outstanding performance from the back line that included freshman Paige Koenig (Centennial, CO), junior Jacquelyn Archey (Sammamish, WA), and junior Denise Guerrero (Glendale, CA). Junior goalkeeper Quinn Egan (Grennwood Village, CO) served as the Bulldogs' brick wall while making six saves. Freshman goalkeeper Allie Gillies (Simi Valley, CA) also gained a few minutes of experience as the last line of defense.
Redlands (1-1 SCIAC) heads east for spring break, beginning with Rhodes College (TN) on Sunday, February 26, at 12 p.m. The Bulldogs also face Hendrix College (AR) and Centre College (KY) during their trip.
