LEBANON, Ill. – The women's lacrosse team could not come out on top against the No.9 Maryville University Saints in their Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) opener on Friday, April 3rd at the Leemon Field in Lebanon, Illinois.
Score: McKendree University 11, Maryville University 21
Record: Bearcats 8-3, 0-1 GLVC | Saints 8-2, 1-0 GLVC
HOW IT HAPPENED
The ninth-ranked Maryville struck first, a minute and four seconds into the game, but the freshman attacker Elora Waardenburg (Cobble Hill, British Columbia, Canada) answered right back 26 seconds after with the Bearcats first goal to tie it up at one apiece. Yet the Saints reeled off five straight into the bars to close out the first quarter on a 6-1 edge.
A short-distance goal by sophomore attacker Ariyah LaFrance (Akwesasne, N.Y.) via the feed by fellow sophomore Elle Garriock (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) shrank the opposing lead to four. After a two-goal spurt by the Saints, McKendree caught fire and drilled in four consecutive scores, with Waardenburg and LaFrance each snagging their second of the contest. However, Maryville responded by the same amount to turn their two-point lead to six at a 12-6 score heading into halftime.
The two sides went back-and-forth for a few two-goal swings, with Waardenburg getting one more for a hat-trick and senior attacker Jayna Barnden (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) contributing one for herself.
Still looming down by a sizable margin, Barnden and LaFrance initiated a 3-1 run in the midst of the fourth period, and cut their deficit to within seven, but it would not be enough, as the Saints wrapped the match up with three more shots to sail in and come away with the 21-11 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• LaFrance, Barnden, and Waardenburg, each finished with a hat-trick of three goals, with the former two each adding an assist.
• Sophomore attacker Sofia Mullen (Lakeside, Nova Scotia, Canada) was the lone other Bearcat to score, as she tallied two goals in the setback on three shots overall and four on the goal.
• Junior goalkeeper Amber Hayden (Woburn, Mass.) finished the day with 15 saves and two ground balls in the whole 60:00 minutes of action. It is her 12th time recording 15+ saves in her career.
• McKendree was 13-for-20 (65.0%) on clear attempts, while Maryville was 21-for-27 (77.8%).
• WIth her output, Hayden has crossed the 500-career saves plateau, and has a current total of 507.
UP NEXT
McKendree will be back in action next week, when they hit the road to take on Lewis University on Friday, April 10th at 12:00 PM at the Lewis Stadium in Romeoville, Illinois.
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. Tickets can be purchased at lewisflyers.com.
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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