Sophomore attacker Bre Gunderson (San Diego, CA) notched a career-high five goals, as the University of Redlands women's lacrosse team rolled to a 23-11 victory at Whittier College in Wednesday night's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) tilt. Twelve different players scored at least one goal apiece for the Bulldogs in the all-around team effort.
After the Poets took an early 2-1 lead by the 23:48-mark of the first half, junior midfielder Sadie Pickering (Tacoma, WA) fired one in the back of the net to initiate a 7-0 run for Redlands. First-year attacker Joren Fettig (Bend, OR) paced the offensive effort with two goals and an assist during this stretch to make it 8-2 in favor of the visitors.
Whittier broke up the rally with a goal with 6:43 left in the first, but sophomore attacker Paige Erlanger (Las Vegas, NV) fired one into the back of the net 30 seconds later to push the Bulldogs' lead back up to six goals. After junior Emma Brown Thunder (Falcon Heights, MN) forced a Poet turnover, Erlanger capitalized by feeding a sweet pass to first-year midfielder Ashley Rende (Mission Viejo, CA), who made it 10-3 with 3:37 left to go in the half.
Both teams traded goals for the remainder of the half to put Redlands in front with a 12-5 advantage as the teams headed into the break.
Less than 10 minutes into the second half, the Bulldogs owned a double-digit lead at 19-9, as Gunderson bookended the scoring spree with a pair of successful free-position shots. The Maroon and Gray continued to pressure the Poets, as Redlands' next four goals came off of caused turnovers, one of which included senior midfielder Alexis Pound's (Washington, D.C.) first goal of her career.
Although Whittier scored two goals late in the game, the Bulldogs' offensive barrage resulted in the 23-11 win.
In addition to Gunderson's 5-for-5 shot performance, Pickering and Erlanger each tallied three goals. Pickering also added an assist, three ground balls, three draw controls, and three caused turnovers, while Erlanger posted two assists, two ground balls, and one caused turnover. In net, first-years goalkeepers Annie Van Norstrand (Littleton, CO) and Kallie Collett (Manhattan Beach, CA) each made three stops in the triumph.
Redlands (8-7, 2-7 SCIAC) returns home to face Chapman University on Senior Day on Saturday, April 20, at 11 a.m. on Farquhar Field.