PUEBLO, Colo. – McKendree University women's lacrosse concluded its four-game trip to Colorado by picking up a 19-18 victory over Colorado State University Pueblo at ALG Stadium on the CSU Pueblo campus.
 
With the victory, McKendree improves to 4-5 overall on the season and 2-2 on its road trip, while CSU Pueblo falls to 0-5 on the season.
 
Friday's match was a back-and-forth affair as it featured nine ties and nine lead changes as the teams combined for 79 shots and 37 goals, including combining for 20 goals in the first half.
 
The Bearcats recorded a season high 45 shots, which are the most shots in a game for the Bearcats since recording 50 last season against Missouri Western and the 19 goals marked the fourth time this season that the Bearcats had scored at least 19 times.
 
Junior midfielder Sydney Tiemann (Eureka, Mo./Eureka) had a career day as she scored a career high eight goals, with five of those goals coming in the first half as the Bearcats led 12-9 at the half. In addition to Tiemann, graduate student midfielder Oriana Johnson (Monticello, Minn./Monticello) added four goals, while junior attacker Kat Albrecht (Louisville, Ky./Eastern) and freshman Mya Cobb (Newburgh, Ind./Castle) each had three goals and Albrecht added three assists in the win.
 
The Bearcats led 15-13 after three periods, but the Thunderwolves would open the fourth period by scoring four of the first six goals in the quarter to tie the game at 17 following a goal by Emily Eller with 8:30 left. The tie was the eighth of the contest.
 
Johnson would answer back as she took a pass from Albrecht and found the net for the Bearcats with 5:54 left to give McKendree an 18-17 lead. About two minutes later, Caira Lessick scored an unassisted goal to tie the game for the ninth time at 18-all.
 
About 17 seconds after Lessick's game, Cobb took a pass from Tiemann and found the goal for the game winning goal. Cobb's goal gave the Bearcats a 19-18 lead.
 
The teams would score 13 times in the first quarter of Friday's game as McKendree scored seven goals with Johnson and Tiemann combining for five of those seven goals to give the Bearcats a 7-6 lead after the opening 15 minutes.
 
CSU Pueblo's Parker Delp would retie the game at 7-all just 69 seconds into the second quarter, but Tiemann would give the Bearcats a lead on an unassisted goal with 13:19 left in the period.
 
The Thunderwolves would score two straight goals to retake the lead at 9-8, before sophomore attacker Riley Bishop (Grayslake, Ill./Warren Township) retied the game at 9-all with eight minutes remaining in the period and the Bearcats would follow by scoring the final two goals of the period, both by Tiemann, to take its 12-9 halftime lead.
 
In the third quarter, each team would score four goals each as Cobb scored two of the Bearcats' four goals, while Albrecht and Tiemann had the other two goals.
 
McKendree also had eight assists in the game as six different players recorded an assist.
 
Ashley Hendricks had six goals for CSU Pueblo, while Eller and Lessick added three goals in the loss. Baylee Mee had three of the Thunderwovles' five assists.
 
The Bearcats won the ground ball battle, 16-15 and they caused 19 turnovers, while CSU Pueblo caused 14 turnovers.

McKendree also won the draw control battle, 23-19 with Tiemann leading the way with 10, while Albrecht had six. CSU Pueblo was led by Eller and Mee with seven. 
 
Junior goalkeeper Clara Andrews (St. Louis, Mo./Nerinx Hall) played the final 38 minutes in goal as she allowed nine goals and made 10 saves to earn the win. Sophomore Gretchen Kuhn (Kirkwood, Mo./Kirkwood) started in goal as she allowed nine goals in the first 22 minutes.
 
Annika Ponse played all 60 minutes between the pipes for the Thunderwolves as she made 18 saves and allowed 19 goals.
 
The Bearcats will return to action on Saturday, April 2 as the Bearcats open Great Lakes Valley Conference play with a 1 p.m. game in St. Charles, Mo., against No. 4 ranked and defending Division II National Champion Lindenwood University.