Lax: Mount Holyoke vs. Eastern Connecticut
SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (April 1, 2009) – Junior midfielder Taylor MacDonald racked up five goals, as the Eastern Connecticut State University women’s lacrosse team downed non-conference foe Mount Holyoke College 12-8 this afternoon at the Mount Holyoke Turf Field. With the win, the Warriors improved to 2-0 all-time versus the Lyons.
Eastern Connecticut State finished with large advantages in both shots (28-16) and ground balls (35-25). Juniors Brooke Wayte, Dana McLaughlin and Courtney Bedocs posted two goals apiece. Watye also added an assist for the Warriors, who recorded their second win in a row.
Mount Holyoke dropped its third straight contest despite a 13-8 edge in draw controls. Junior midfielder Peggy Wefald figured in on all but one of the Lyons goals, scoring five and assisting on two others. Senior midfielder Ava Gottschall recorded two points on one goal and a helper. Meanwhile, first year midfielder Taylor Hedges chipped in with one tally.
Eastern Connecticut State grabbed a 2-0 lead on goals by MacDonald and Wayte within the first five minutes of the opening frame. Hedges got Mount Holyoke on the board at the 24:54 mark, and Wefald knotted things up at 2-2 five minutes later.
The Warriors responded with three unanswered goals to open up a 5-2 advantage. Two of MacDonald’s four first half goals occurred during the spurt, which lasted just over eight minutes. Her team took a 6-3 edge into the intermission.
Wefald erupted for three goals in a span of 2:29 in the early stages of the second stanza to even things up at 6-6. Mount Holyoke then took its first lead of the afternoon, when Gottschall recorded an unassisted goal to make the score 8-7 with 20:50 remaining in regulation.
From there, it was all Eastern Connecticut State. The Warriors finished the game with five unanswered goals to seal the deal. MacDonald’s fifth goal of the day tied things up at 8-8, and McLaughlin found the net for what proved to be the winner at the 15:41 mark. Wayte was credited with the assist on the play.
Eastern Connecticut State first year goalkeeper Kristianna Ibsen made six saves en route to her third triumph of the season. Meanwhile sophomore Missy Hartley turned away nine shots in a losing effort for the Lyons.
Mount Holyoke (3-5, 0-1 NEWMAC) will return to action on Friday, when it hosts nationally ranked Babson College. The New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest is slated to begin at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Connecticut State (3-6, 1-0 LEC) is scheduled to visit Plymouth State University for a Little East Conference game beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.