Bulldog Women's Lacrosse Stumbles to Chapman in SCIAC Action on Military Appreciation Night

Bulldog Women's Lacrosse Stumbles to Chapman in SCIAC Action on Military Appreciation Night

The University of Redlands women's lacrosse team hosted Chapman University on Saturday during Military Appreciation Night at Farquhar Field. After a back-and-forth start to this Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match, the Bulldogs struggled to find the back of the net against the Panthers' stingy defense, which ultimately led to the home team's 5-13 loss.

The Maroon and Gray jumped on the board first with an unassisted goal by junior midfielder Lacey Bjorndal (Sherwood, OR) at the 28:05-mark of the opening period.

After the teams battled through multiple turnovers over the next few minutes, Chapman evened the tally at one apiece.

Following a sweet save by junior goalkeeper Quinn Egan (Greenwood Village, CO) on Chapman's subsequent offensive possession, Redlands came right back to the other end of the field to earn a free-position shot, which sophomore midfielder Hanna Morford (West Linn, OR) successfully fired into the back of the net for the Maroon and Gray' 2-1 advantage. 

But the Panthers responded 40 seconds later with a quick score to make it 2-2 with 20:52 left on the first-half clock.

From here, Chapman's offense was clicking on all cylinders en route to seven-straight goals and a 9-2 halftime lead.  Redlands had its chances but the Panther goalkeeper consistently answered the call to make the stop.

The momentum stayed with the visiting squad through the 15:29-mark of the second half, when Bjorndal ended the Bulldogs' scoring drought with her second goal of the game.

Despite trailing by a score of 3-13, Redlands continued to battle and successfully held the opponents scoreless for the remainder of the game while firing off two more netters.  Morford converted a free-position shot before sophomore midfielder Alexis Pound (Washington, DC) fed a quick pass to sophomore attack player Adi Fellows (Albuquerque, NM), who found enough space to uncork the late goal.  

In the waning minutes, senior midfielder Breanne Rideout (San Diego, CA) orchestrated quality looks for the offense, while freshman defender Paige Koenig (Centennial, CO) and junior defender Katie Koehler (Jackson, WY) hauled in critical draw controls.  Despite the final effort, it was not enough to overcome the deficit. 

Redlands (7-4, 2-3 SCIAC) hosts Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Saturday, April 8, for a 1 p.m. contest on Farquhar Field.