NEWBERG --- George Fox women's lacrosse faced its second Northwest Conference foe of the 2020 season and passed the test with solid second-half defense to come away with a 19-7 win at home over Whitworth on Sunday, Mar. 8.

Recap

The Bruins opened the game with three unanswered goals by Sydney Thatch, Kyra Barnes, and Jennifer Burke for a quick lead, but the Pirates cut that down to a 3-2 lead with back-to-back goals from their midfield.

Burke scored another goal by herself and then set up a score for Madison Strickland, but the Pirates put in another to hang tough at 5-3 with 11 minutes left in the first half.

Strickland got going with two more scores after that to put more distance between the Bruins and the Pirates. Whitworth would add two in response, but the Bruins got one goal each from Burke and Thatch down the stretch for a 9-5 lead at halftime.

The Bruins' halftime adjustments served them well in the second period as they outscored their guests 10-2 in the half. Whitworth poured in the first goal of the half, but the Bruins answered back with six straight scores in the opening eight minutes of the second period.

Andrea Garcia-Milla, Burke, Bailey Faust, and Julia Quist each found the back of the net to give the Bruins a 15-6 lead. The Pirates put in one more goal to make it 15-7, but the Bruins fired in four more with strikes from Thatch, Burke, and Faust in a 19-7 victory.

Top Performers

Burke led the team with seven goals and dished two assists while collecting a game-high nine ground balls. Faust topped the team with 10 draw controls to go with her two goals, and Thatch notched her first collegiate hat trick with three goals. Strickland was the other Bruin to notch a hat trick, and Ella Rand picked up six saves in her second win of the year.

What It Means

The Bruins improve to 2-1 overall and are 2-0 in conference play after defeating the Pirates today in Newberg.

What Happens Next

The Bruins will take their first road trip of the 2020 season next weekend to face Willamette in Salem, Ore., on Saturday, Mar. 14.