KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The women's lacrosse team kept within striking distance in hopes of pulling off a to-25 upset, but could not succeed as they fell to No.24 Rockhurst University on Friday, April 24th at the Bourke Field in Kansas City, Missouri.
Score: McKendree University 10, Rockhurst University 16
Record: Bearcats 10-6, 2-4 GLVC | Hawks 12-2, 5-1 GLVC
HOW IT HAPPENED
After Rockhurst opened the gates with three goals, McKendree finally was able to get their first after a running shot made by junior midfielder Lexi Macleod (Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada) for her 29th of the season. Moments later, attackers Ariyah LaFrance (Akwesasne, N.Y.) and Jayna Barnden (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) nailed the one-two punch to bring the Bearcat deficit to one before the Hawks netted one more with 42 ticks left in the first quarter to be up 5-3.
The home Hawks controlled the majority of the second period of play with another five goals scored, while the Bearcats converted on two of such after freshman attacker Elora Waardenburg (Cobble Hill, British Columbia, Canada) slung it off an inside pass, while Macleod powered through again for her second of the game to post a 5-10 score as the halftime horn sounded.
McKendree crawled back once the second half began, as the team scored three unanswered with two coming via Barnden and Waardenburg clinching another one for herself to be down by a pair. Yet, Rockhurst upped their lead back to four to end the third quarter.
In the final quarter of regulation, the Bearcats were able to muster a couple more goals with Barnden getting the rebound off a missed free-position shot and sinking towards the back of the net, and Macleod ending off where she started with her third made shot for the hat-trick. However, McKendree would fall short of pulling off the upset, as they would fall in the match 10-16.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Barnden led the charge offensively with four goals and two assists for six points on five shot attempts, along with a ground ball.
• Macleod registered three goals in the contests, with also an assist, three ground balls, a caused turnover, and a pair of draw controls.
• Waardenburg had two goals plus a draw control.
• LaFrance was the lone other goal-scorer with one two shot attempts.
• Junior goalkeeper Amber Hayden (Woburn, Mass.) put up 13 saves on the evening to go with four ground balls.
• McKendree was 18-for-21 (85.7%) on clears while Rockhurst was 16-for-18 (88.9%).
UP NEXT
McKendree will be back in action on Sunday for their regular-season finale at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, with the opening draw set to begin at 11:00 AM CT.
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.
#BearcatsUnleashed
