NEWBERG, Ore. --- The George Fox women's lacrosse team pushed past NCAA National Tournament contender Hope College in a tight midweek matchup at home, 17-13. 

How It Happened
The Bruins won the opening draw of what would be a back and forth quarter between the two heavyweight teams. Several early shots from Fox were saved by the Hope goalie, before Olivia Geyling broke through to open the scoring in the fifth minute of play. Less than a minute later, Ava Bluhm scored her first goal of the game, though the Flying Dutch responded almost immediately with a goal of their own. Carleigh Delapp tacked on the final goal of the quarter for the Bruins, but despite putting four more shots on goal than Hope, the two teams closed out the quarter tied, 3-3.

The Flying Dutch struck first in the second period, scoring two quick goals to take the lead for the first time in the match. After the two sides traded possession for the next four minutes, it was Fox who scored — this time by Lana Davis. Geyling leveled the scores with five minutes left in the half, but Hope retook the lead with another two goals of their own. In a flipped script from the first half, the Flying Dutch outshot the Bruins 10-6 for the period, but late goals from Delapp and Bluhm kept Fox right in the game going into halftime, 9-7. 

The tight contest would continue into the third quarter, with neither team able to establish a solid lead. Hope put eight shots on goal in the period but Emma Webb was almost impenetrable in goal, holding the Flying Dutch to just two goals. Meanwhile, Fox finished the quarter with five straight scores — including Morgan Maxfield's first for the season — to edge ahead, 12-11.

Though the Flying Dutch opened the scoring in the final quarter, Fox appeared to have found their offensive rhythm as Maxfield put another goal away before both Geyling and DeLapp converted free position shots. The Bruins held a three goal lead with seven minutes to play and never looked back, allowing just one more goal while notching two more of their own to close out the game, 17-13. 

Coach's Thoughts
"So proud of our team and how they competed together tonight!" said Bruin head coach Katie Brand "Hope is a great opponent and each of our units (defense, offense, midfield) really stepped up tonight! It was a great quality team win that we are excited to build on going into the weekend." 

Top Performances
Carleigh Delapp, Ava Bluhm and Olivia Geyling all scored four goals on the day, while Lana Davis had three of her own. Marena Tharpe also put together an impressive performance, recording four assists, six ground balls and four caused turnovers. In the goal, Emma Webb was crucial for Fox, saving 14 shots on her way to a 52% save percentage for the game. 

What It Means
Fox improved to 3-1 (2-0 NWC), while the Flying Dutch fell to 2-3 on their season. 

Up Next
The Bruins will travel to Salem, Ore. this Saturday for a conference matchup against the Willamette Bearcats. The game is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.