NEWBERG, Ore. --- The George Fox women's lacrosse team won their opening Northwest Conference matchup against the visiting Whitman Blues on Saturday, 14-6.

How It Happened
The Bruins asserted themselves early in the first quarter when Marena Tharpe scored less than two minutes into the game. Whitman won the following faceoff, leading to a goal to tie the game at 1-1. Fox would go on to score five unanswered goals, two from Lana Davis and Ava Bluhm and one from Carleigh DeLapp, to end the quarter. 

In the second quarter, Fox picked up right where they left off. Three minutes into the quarter, Sasha Thayer dished out a fantastic assist to Marena Tharpe. Less than 15 seconds later, Ava Bluhm netted a goal to put the Bruins up, 8-1. The Blues would not go away, putting in two more goals in the quarter. Payton Bergren scored her first goal of the game with four minutes left in the half to put the Bruins up 9-3 at the half. 

The third quarter was much quieter than the rest for both teams, with only three goals total. Jenna Clark caused a turnover for the Bruins to grab possession; her ground ball pickup led to a foul on Whitman. Lana Davis found Olivia Geyling for the goal, making it 10 for the Bruins. The two would connect again just four minutes later to put the Bruins up 11-3. The final goal of the quarter would come from Whitman's Gracie Maulik. 

Heading into the final quarter, Fox looked to pick up their scoring efforts. It would take five minutes before Bluhm scored off of a free position attempt, her ninth goal in two games. The Blues would pull one back after Izzy Eggerling scored. Davis and Geyling would put away two additional goals before Madeleine Sherry would give the Blues their sixth goal of the day. On their final possession, the Bruins would have four shot attempts blocked before Whitman picked up the ball. Emma Webb came up with her seventh save of the game to end the Blues final chance of scoring. 

Top Performances
Ava Bluhm scored four goals, Olivia Geyling and Lana Davis netted three goals apiece. Defensively, Marena Tharpe had six ground balls, and Emma Webb made seven saves in Saturday's win. 

What It Means
Fox improves to 1-1 (1-0 NWC) on the season, while the Blues are now 4-1 (1-1 NWC)  on the season. 

Up Next
The Bruins return home tomorrow to face the Whitworth Pirates. The game will start at 1:00 p.m.