ST. PAUL, Minn. – The women's lacrosse team registered 18 goals in their convincing seven-point win over regional opponent Concordia University, St. Paul on Sunday, February 22nd at the Concordia Dome in St. Paul, Minnesota in non-conference action.
Score: McKendree University 18, Concordia University, St. Paul 11
Record: Bearcats 1-1, 0-0 GLVC | Golden Bears 1-2, 0-0 GLIAC
HOW IT HAPPENED
It took a third of the way through the first quarter of action for the Bearcats to get their rhythm going after falling behind by three-zip to CSP. The senior attacker Jayn Barnden (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) gave her squad their first goal off a free position shot to ignite an early monumental 5-0 run to flip the score in their favor with sophomore attacker Ariyah LaFrance (Akwesasne, N.Y.) being in on a pair of them.
The story would become similar for the second period, as the Golden Bears struck first with the first three scoring possesions to start off and retake the one-point edge, but LaFrance was there to stop them from adding on any further with her third goal of the game already. Leading scorer in the last outing Lexi Macleod (Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada) and sophomore attacker Sofia Mullen (Lakeside, Nova Scotia, Canada) supplemented the three-goal spurt to head into the half up 8-6.
Momentum would continue for McKendree at the start off period number two after LaFrance netted a pair in four straight team goals to make it a 7-0 run by the Bearcats to extend their lead to double the opposition (+6). A Golden Bear shot sailed in to halt the bleeding on their defense, yet Barnden got her second ball to find its way into the post with junior midfielder Mackenzie Stroisch (Arnold, MO) also getting herself a pair within the game to take a 14-7 lead heading into the final quarter of regulation.
The two sides would take shots back-and-forth for the final 15 minutes of play. Freshman attacker Elora Waardenburg (Cobble Hill, British Columbia, Canada) put in two straight for the team, with the former coming via a man-down and the latter converted on a man-up opportunity. CSP made one more final push down the stretch, but Stroisch and LaFrance got themselves inside to clutch in two more scores to reel off the 18-11 win on the road for their season's first victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• LaFrance notched a career-best eight points off a double-hat-trick of six goals to go with a pair of assists, as she did so on 12 total shots (50.0%) and 10 shots on goal (60.0%) while tying a career-high of two ground balls, where she done so twice before.
• Waardenburg and Barnden each tabbed five points in the win, with the former getting a three-goal hat-trick and two assists, while the latter earned a pair of scores on 100% shooting with a trio of assists, with two ground balls and three draw controls combined between the two.
• Stroisch was the third Bearcat to earn a hat-trick with three goals to give her a career-high in that category to go with a ground ball, a caused turnover, and two draw controls.
• Junior goalkeeper Amber Hayden (Woburn, Mass.) played all 60 minutes in the net and recorded 15 saves on a 57.7 save percentage for her 11th game saving 15+ shot attempts. She also came away with four ground balls and an assist.
• McKendree shot 42.9% overall and 56.3% on the goal.
• The Bearcats led in several categories, including total shots (42-39), shots on goal (32-26), saves (15-14), turnovers (16-17), and ground balls (24-13).
• 13 of the 18 (72.2%) of McKendree goals were assisted.
• The 42 total team shots were the most taken since the 2022 season, when the program did so twice.
• The squad's 18 total goals are the most since putting up 23 in their 21-point victory over Ursuline College on March 3rd, 2025.
UP NEXT
McKendree will be back in Lebanon, Illinois next week for their home opener, as they will start off with hosting Thomas More University on Saturday, February 28th at 12:00 PM CT at Leemon Field.
Fans can tune in live or on-demand on the Bearcats' GLVC Sports Network with a subscription/download purchase required, as live stats will also be provided to the public.
Make sure to keep up with McKendree University Women's Lacrosse on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram. #GLVCwlax | #D2lax
For more updates and information on Bearcat Athletics, please continue to visit McKBearcats.com and follow us on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram.
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