LEBANON, Ill. – The McKendree University women's lacrosse team opened the home portion of its 2022 season schedule here Sunday as the Bearcats suffered a 19-9 setback to 10th-ranked Grand Valley State at Leemon Field.
 
The Bearcats, who fell to 1-3 on the season with the loss, faced its third nationally ranked foe already this season on Sunday in the Lakers from Grand Valley State (3-1). McKendree has already faced No. 2 ranked Indianapolis and No. 25-ranked Davenport.
 
In Sunday's game against the Lakers, the Bearcats were outscored 10-3 in the second half, including being held scoreless in the third quarter as the Lakers put up five unanswered goals to push its 9-6 halftime lead to 14-6 after three quarters of play.
 
Graduate student midfielder Oriana Johnson (Monticello, Minn./Monticello) led the offensively for the Bearcats with four goals. In addition to Johnson, junior attacker Kat Albrecht (Louisville, Ky./Eastern) added three goals and an assist, while junior midfielder Sydney Tiemann (Eureka, Mo./Eureka), who was this week's Great Lakes Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week, scored two times and had an assist in the loss.
 
Olivia Esposito scored the first goal of the game for the Lakers as she took a pass from Maggie Hammer and found the net just 104 seconds into the game. About a minute later, Albrecht scored an unassisted goal to tie the game.
 
GVSU would then score two goals in a nearly two minutes to push its lead to 3-1 with 8:33 left in the opening period. The Bearcats, though, would answer back as they tied the game with back-to-back free position goals from Johnson and Albrecht.
 
Sophie Conroy would score three goals in a span of three minutes close out the period and give GVSU a 6-3 lead.
 
Johnson opened the scoring in the second period on a goal off an assist from Tiemann to pull within 6-4 and after Molly Bursinger scored her second goal of the game with 10:34 left in the second period, Tiemann would get into the scoring column as she took a pass from Albrecht and found the net to cut McKendree's lead to 7-5 with 7:41 remaining.
 
GVSU would come right back and score two straight goals to push in front 9-5 with 5:16 left, before Albrecht scored an unassisted goal with 4:34 left in the period that cut GVSU's lead to 9-6 at the half.
 
The Lakers would score five straight goals in the third period and opened the fourth period with a free position goal from Ashleigh Rothe just 61 seconds into the final period. Rothe's goal gave the Lakers a 15-6 lead.
 
Two goals by Johnson and a goal from Tiemann midway through the fourth quarter brought the Bearcats within 16-9.
 
That would be as close as the game would get as GVSU would the game by scoring the final three goals, with the last goal from Ellie Bernard coming with 59 seconds left in the game.
 
McKendree was outshot, 34-22, including 22-8 in the second half and the Bearcats also lost the ground ball battle to the Lakers, 20-15.
 
Johnson, Tiemann and Albrecht combined to take 20 of McKendree's 22 shots as Johnson took eight shotsTiemann added seven shots.
 
McKendree won the draw control battle, 18-14 as Tiemann collected 10 in the game.
 
The Bearcats also committed 18 turnovers and had 13 caused turnovers, including three each from Johnson and junior defender Molly Muennich (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart Academy. GVSU had 15 turnovers and caused 12 turnovers.
 
Bursinger led GVSU with six goals on 11 shots, while Esposito added four goals on five shots in the win. Eight different Lakers scored a goal in the game.
 
Junior Clara Andrews (St. Louis, Mo./Nerinx Hall), who was this week's GLVC Defensive Player of the Week, played over 51 minutes in goal for the Bearcats and made seven saves and caused two turnovers. Sophomore Gretchen Kuhn (Kirkwood, Mo./Kirkwood) played the final eight plus minutes and had a save. 
 
Audrey Maloney played the first half and Kaylyn Cater played the second half in goal for the Lakers. Maloney allowed six goals and made five saves, while Cater allowed three goals and made three saves.
 
GVSU was a perfect 10-for-10 on clears, while McKendree was 9-for-10 on their clear attempts.
 
The Bearcats will next be in action on Tuesday, March 8 as they host Ashland University for a 4 p.m. game at Leemon Field.