LIBERTY, Mo. – All good things must come to an end, as it was in fact a delightful finish for the women's lacrosse team, who would put a stamp to their season in Liberty, Missouri with a 19-13 victory over William Jewell College on Sunday, April 26th to give the quad their 11th win on the year, and a third in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.
Score: McKendree University 19, William Jewell College 13
Record: Bearcats 11-6, 3-4 GLVC | Cardinals 1-13, 0-7 GLVC
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sophomore attacker Ariyah LaFrance (Akwesasne, N.Y.) got things going for the Bearcats by sinking in their first two goals of the match to get her 31st of the season. 21 seconds off the second one made by LaFrance, junior midfielder Mackenzie Stroisch (Arnold, Mo.) low-balled a shot of her own to take an early 3-0 lead over the Cardinals.
After an eight-minute span of stellar defense, Jewell got their first goal of the match with 2:27 left in the first quarter, but McKendree's leading scorer Jayna Barnden (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) wasted no time with an answer, but another successful shot on the Cardinals' end cut their deficit to two to end the period.
Momentum would shift immensely in McKendree's favor to open up period number two, as the visiting 'Cats went on a 6-1 run, where Barnden led the charge with four goals in the rout to let her surpass 50 on the year, whereas LaFrance also got on the hat-trick train with her third of the game. Yet, for the remaining 7:16 of the half, Jewell scored five straight, including one that snuck in with two ticks left before half, as the Bearcats would hold to a 10-8 lead.
The game of runs continued back in the Bearcats' hands, as they meshed together a 5-0 flurry in the opening seven and a half minutes of the third quarter to up their lead to seven with Barnden notching another, while LaFrance, attacker Sofia Mullen (Lakeside, Nova Scotia, Canada), and midfielder Elle Garriock (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) contributed on the other three.
The Cardinals closed the period with two more to their arsenal, and dropped another pair into the back of the net to cut McKendree's lead down to 15-12. But a 4-0 responding spurt by Barnden, Garriock, and midfielders Lexi Macleod (Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada) and Abby Drinkwalter (Peterborough, Ontario, Canada) put the game out of reach for the opposition, as they would go to end their season on a high note, winning 19-13.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Barnden had eight goals on the day on 11 shot attempts overall and 10 on the goal, as her goal total is her personal best since posting eight at Northwood University on March 26th... one month ago to the day.
• LaFrance also tabbed eight points, consisting of four goals and four assists, as she also put up eight total points at Concordia University, St. Paul on February 22nd this year. The sophomore also surpassed 100 points for her career.
• Macleod boosted her team's offensive production with all the little things, including five assists and one goal for six points. She also came away with 19 draw controls, which is a program record, and the most since Kat Albrecht had 15 at Maryville University on March 30th of 2023.
• Junior goalkeeper Amber Hayden (Woburn, Mass.) guarded the net the whole contest and recorded 14 saves.
• McKendree outshot Jewell 35-33 overall and 25-16 on the goal.
• The Bearcats held a 26-4 advantage on draw controls.
• This season's 11 total wins ties the most since the 2017 season, which had 13 wins, as the 2019 season also finished with 11.
• The three GLVC wins are also the most since 2022, when McKendree had four.
UP NEXT
This will conclude the 2026 season for McKendree University women's lacrosse. We would like to congratulate the team on a great season and give a big thank you to all those who followed all year long!
The 2027 season schedule will be posted at the start of next spring, along with roster updates and other news within the next several months.
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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