LEBANON, Ill. – The women's lacrosse team almost made a significant comeback against Missouri Western State University on Friday, April 17th, but ultimately fell short of that feat at the Leemon Field in Great Lakes Valley Conference action.
Score: McKendree University 10 Missouri Western State University 12
Record: Bearcats 9-5, 1-3 GLVC | Griffons 7-5, 3-1 GLVC
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a one-and-two seesaw affair between the Bearcats and Griffons throughout the first half of play. Freshman attacker Elora Waardenburg (Cobble Hill, British Columbia, Canada) notched the game's first to go through the posts after sprinting inside off the feed by sophomore Ariyah LaFrance (Akwesasne, N.Y.). MoWest was able to keep McKendree at bay for the rest of the initial period while getting two goals of their own to drop in.
Junior midfielder Lexi Macleod (Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada) got herself on the board for two in the second quarter, along with Waardenburg also tallying her second of the contest 10 ticks off a draw control in a full-on attack mode. However, the Griffons would obtain the momentum to end the half, as they were also able to get downhill and sling a shot sail in as the horn sounded to close out on a 5-2 run and lead 7-4 at the halfway point.
The Waardenburg & Macleod show would go on in the third period, as Macleod tacked on two more to put her at four at the moment, whereas Waardenburg got her third to find the back of the net for a hat-trick. The MoWest lead still was at three as both teams went to their huddle to begin the fourth and final quarter.
The Griffons started off the final 15 minutes of play with their 11th goal a little under five minutes in. Yet, a free-position conversion four minutes later by Macleod sparked life into the Bearcats. MoWest extended their edge back to four, but McKendree would make one more final push, as junior midfielder Mackenzie Stroisch (Arnold, Mo.) caught a pass that was almost inches out of her reach and fired it to cut the deficit to three. A sneak-in shot by the sophomore midfielder Abby Drinkwalter (Peterborough, Ontario, Canada) put the game at a two-point margin. McKendree was able to obtain the subsequent draw control, but a dropped feed into the center led to turnover by the Bearcats, giving MoWest the opportunity to run out the clock and win the conference match 12-10.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Macleod put up a season-high five goals on seven shot attempts overall and on the goal, plus a game-high seven draw controls with a ground ball and a caused turnover.
• Waardenburg was the other Bearcat to record a hat-trick, as she had three goals on five shots and one ground ball.
• Drinkwalter and Stroisch each had one goal to round out the offense, as the latter also contributed two assists, two ground balls, a caused turnover, and three draw controls.
• Junior goalkeeper Amber Hayden (Woburn, Mass.) played all 60:00 minutes guarding the net and came away with 15 saves, a ground ball, and her fourth career assist.
• McKendree was 16-for-21 (76.2%) on clear attempts, while MoWest was 19-for-23 (82.6%).
• The Bearcats won the draw control battle 13-10, and tied with the Griffons in ground balls at 19 apiece.
UP NEXT
McKendree will be back in action on Sunday, April 19th, when they host their Senior Day at the Leemon Field at 12:00 PM CT as they take on in-state foe Quincy University, in what may be the final home match of the regular season (pending GLVC Championships).
The game will be streamed live or on-demand on the GLVC Sports Network with a subscription/download purchase required. 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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