SALEM, Ore. --- The George Fox women's lacrosse team delivered a commanding performance against the Willamette Bearcats, clinching a convincing 22-11 victory.
How It Happened
The Bruins struck early. After going up one player off a yellow card, Fox rattled off four straight shots before
Carleigh DeLapp scored her 14th goal of the season. Two minutes later, DeLapp would again be involved in the Bruins' second goal. This time she would find
Sasha Thayer for the goal. Willamette responded with a goal from Brooklynn Pearl, narrowing the deficit, but George Fox quickly regained momentum with another goal from
Olivia Geyling, making it 3-1. Less than two minutes later, the Bruins would strike again as
Claire Abraham found the back of the net. The Bearcats would net one more before
Ava Bluhm showcased her scoring prowess, netting two goals in quick succession to extend George Fox's lead to 6-2 to end the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Willamette fought back, with Claire Kisielnicki and Lily Bachiochi finding the back of the net to close the gap to 6-4. However, George Fox remained resilient, with
Ava Bluhm and
Morgan Maxfield each contributing goals to extend the lead to 8-4. After Willamette's Lily Bachiochi scored, the Bearcats struggled to contain George Fox's relentless attack, as they would score four straight goals to end the half up 12-5.
The Bearcats scored just 40 seconds into the second half. But George Fox continued to showcase their offensive skillset, with goals from
Marena Tharpe, Bluhm, Geyling, and Davis extending their lead to 15-8.
Emma Webb kept the Bearcats scoring at bay with two saves during the quarter. DeLapp netted two additional goals in the final two minutes of the half to put the Bruins up 17-9 heading into the fourth quarter.
Right from the opening draw of the fourth quarter,
Marena Tharpe found
Lana Davis for the score. Once again, DeLapp scored two goals with less than two minutes between, her sixth and seventh of the game. Fox maintained their dominance, with Tharpe and Davis adding to their tally to help secure a commanding 22-11 victory for the Bruins.
Top Performances
Carleigh DeLapp netted an impressive seven goals and added two assists.
Lana Davis had an all-around game, filling the stat sheet, scoring two goals, handing out eight assists, and securing nine draw controls.
Ava Bluhm tied her career-high total points with seven from her five goals and two assists.
Marena Tharpe scored three goals, dished out three assists, and secured four draw controls. Defensively,
Ana Flores and
Gabriella Muzquiz picked up four ground balls apiece. In goal,
Emma Webb kept the Bearcats at bay with seven saves.
What It Means
Fox improved to 4-1 (3-0 NWC), while the Bearcats lost their second straight, dropping to 3-2 (2-1 NWC).
Up Next
The Bruins return home next week for a Friday night home game against the Pacific Boxers. That game is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
