Bulldog Women's Lacrosse Cruises to 11-5 Win over Berry

Photo credit: Sam Keary
Photo credit: Sam Keary

The University of Redlands women's lacrosse team squared off against Berry College (GA) in a non-conference showdown on Farquhar Field on Monday night.  After storming out to a 4-0 lead, the Bulldogs stayed in front through the final whistle while securing an 11-5 win over the Vikings.

After both teams struggled with possession in the early part of the game, the Bulldogs took advantage of a man-up opportunity with 25:19 remaining in the first half.  Junior midfielder Lacey Bjorndal (Sherwood, OR) rocketed a shot past the Berry goalkeeper for the Maroon and Gray's 1-0 lead.

About five minutes later, Bjorndal converted a free-position goal that was set up with a caused turnover by freshman midfielder Sadie Pickering (Tacoma, WA) and a ground ball pick-up by junior midfielder Jacquelyn Archey (Sammamish, WA).

On the ensuing draw control, sophomore midfielder Hanna Morford (West Linn, OR) snagged the ball and quickly moved downfield, where senior midfielder Breanne Rideout (San Diego, CA) delivered a dime of an assist to Morford for the Maroon and Gray's third goal of the game.

Pickering hauled in the subsequent draw, which immediately set up a sweet give-and-go goal.  Senior attack player Dulce Moll (Mercer Island, WA) connected with Pickering, who fired it into the Viking net to make it a 4-0 lead with 18:36 left in the stanza.

The Vikings hauled in the next draw control and immediately pressured the Bulldog defense, but junior goalkeeper Quinn Egan (Greenwood Village, CO) was up to the task, as she made one of her six saves of the game before forcing a turnover by intercepting the ball.

A few minutes later, Berry fired off a pair of goals, but Redlands immediately answered with consecutive scores by Pickering and sophomore attack player Adi Fellows (Albuquerque, NM) to extend the home team's lead to 6-2. 

The teams then traded scores to close out the half, with the Bulldogs holding a 7-3 advantage at the halfway point.

The Maroon and Gray maintained the momentum during the second stanza by snagging six of the seven draw controls and finishing the game on a 4-2 run.  Bjorndal and Morford collectively scored all of Redlands' goals with impressive speed and accuracy.

Overall, Redlands dominated the draw-control battle with a 13-5 margin.  Bjorndal and Morford accounted for nine of them.

Egan posted a game-high three caused turnovers, while freshman defenders Chelsea Sahami (Millbrae, CA) and Paige Koenig (Centennial, CO), and Fellows each recorded two.

Redlands (5-2) welcomes Illinois Wesleyan University to Farquhar Field on Friday, March 17, for a 7 p.m. showdown.