(Lebanon, Ill., April 27) – The McKendree University women's lacrosse team looks to clinch its first ever Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) regular season title this weekend as it wraps up regular season play at home against University of Findlay and Tiffin University.
The Bearcats who stand at 9-5 overall and 4-1 in conference play will host Findlay on Friday, April 28 at 3 p.m. McKendree will then have its senior day on Sunday, April 30 before the Tiffin game. First draw is scheduled for noon.
McKendree enters the weekend tied in second with Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in the conference standings; however, GVSU holds the tiebreaker with the head-to-head victory. If a three-way tie for first place takes place, the tiebreaker will come down to goal differential. Tiffin current holds 19 points, McKendree 16, and GVSU with nine.
The Bearcats
McKendree leads the GLIAC and is eighth in the nation with 16.29 goals per game. Leading the offensive unit is senior
Victoria Lelo (Auckland, New Zealand/Westlake). Lelo is tied for the conference lead in points with 69 while leading the way in goals with 52.
Dana DiPasquale (St. Charles, MO/Barat Academy) adds 56 points to the high-powered Bearcat offense on 29 goals and 27 assists.
Hannah Sugarman (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional ) and
Paige Salthouse (St. Louis, MO/Ursuline Academy) both add 32 goals rounding out the top contributors. Defensively, Lelo is posting record-breaking numbers at the draw. She is now the all-time leader for McKendree with 169 draw controls, averaging 7.29 per game, fourth best in the nation.
Amy Porta (Ellisville, MO/Marquette) commands the defensive unit between the pipes posting a 44.4 save percentage, third best in the GLIAC.
The Oilers
Findlay enters the weekend at 7-8 overall and 2-3 in conference play. The Oilers offense is producing 12.80 goals per game behind the efforts of Krya Bradley. The senior has posted 56 points on 40 goals and 16 helpers. Hannah Peebles adds 43 while Olivia Sherman adds 42 points to the mix. Defensively, Claire Ferrell has seen majority of time in cage posting a 43.1 save percentage.
The Dragons
Tiffin enters the weekend atop the conference standings at 5-0 and 11-3 overall. The Dragon offense is producing 13.57 goals per game on a 49% shooting percentage, while the defense is only surrendering 8.59 goals per game. Morgan Sherley leads the offense with 49 points. Five other Dragons provide 30+ points to the offensive unit. Defensively, Kat Schneeberger has made all 14 starts in cage posting a 42.9 save percentage.
