NEWBERG, Ore. --- George Fox women's lacrosse kicked off its 2022 season in style with a dominant 19–6 win against the University of Redlands Bulldogs on February 19.
How It Happened
George Fox scored early and often as it ran away two and 8-1 lead by the end of the first quarter. Fox had everything working from the jump, winning draws, writing and clearing effectively, and moving the ball well on offense to create open looks.
The Bruins bookended four unanswered goals around a Redlands score as Marena Tharpe, Lyla Roy, Olivia Geyling, and Andrea Garcia-Milla got things cooking early. Garcia-Milla and Tharpe each had a hat trick by the end of the quarter, including a buzzer-beating free position shot from Tharpe to cap the quarter.
The Bruins slowed down in the second quarter and 'only' outscored Redlands 3-2 in the quarter to take an 11-3 lead at the half. Fox had the running clock going early in the third quarter and never let up from there, adding eight scores in the second half to cruise to a 19-6 final.
Kyra Barnes, Sydney Thatch, Carleigh DeLapp, and Bailey Faust joined the scoring party and Barnes ended the game with a hat trick as well by the final horn to cap the win.
As a team, the Bruins' hustle and physicality was on display all night as they outperformed the Bulldogs with 10 of 16 clears, 18 draws to the Bulldogs' eight, and out-shot their guests 35-15.
Top Performers
Garcia-Milla notched a hat trick in goals (4) and assists (3) while Tharpe put in four goals, was 3-3 on free position shots, and won seven draws for the Bruins. Geyling scooped up four ground balls, and Ella Rand made four saves in 45 minutes to earn the win.
Coach's Thoughts
"We were really proud of the way the girls played tonight!" coach Katie Brand said. "It was great to open the season with a quality win. We are excited to get to work this week and fine-tune some things before opening up conference play."
What It Means
Fox starts the year at 1-0 while Redlands drops to 0-1 in 2022.
Up Next
Fox opens Northwest Conference action on the road at Puget Sound and Linfield before returning home to host SCIAC foe Occidental on Mar. 8.
