NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox women's lacrosse team defeated the Saint Mary's Belles in a 15-3 show-down, rising above with a nearly flawless record.

How It Happened
Within the first eleven minutes of the game, the Bruins had a six-goal run—the first one was scored by Morgan Maxfield in the first three minutes of the first quarter. Then, Sasha Thayer scored a solid goal on a free-position shot, and 30 seconds later, down the field was Lana Davis sneaking in a pass to Merrick Gibson, who scored a goal. Fox was well ahead 3-0, but still had a lot of fight left in them—Freshman Anna Newkirk picked up the ground ball, shot it over to Davis, who gave it to Ava Bluhm with a clean goal. With just over five minutes left of the first quarter, Davis scored a goal from the middle, and then scored another goal on a free-position shot, advancing the score 6-0—a tremendous lead for the Bruins. Eventually, Saint Mary's scored a goal, but Fox took control again when Claire Abraham won a draw control, and Maxfield scored another strong goal. The final score after the first period was 7-1.

The second quarter was all Davis and Bluhm as they didn't give the Belles any chance to score as they scored four goals consecutively. Davis scored the first goal in two minutes, and then Bluhm scored right after being subbed in four minutes later. Davis had another free-position goal scored, and Bluhm with yet another goal—11-1.

The third period was a little quiet—only two goals were scored, Thayer was able to sneak in a nice shot, pushing the score up to 12-1. With less than five minutes left in the quarter, the Bruins gave Saint Mary's a little room to breathe when the Belles scored a goal on a free-position shot. The remainder of the quarter was slow as neither team scored any points.

Claire Abraham scored the first goal of the last quarter in just two minutes. Things were quiet for a while until Fox picked things up again in the last five minutes when Naomi Rauch scored a solid goal; the Bruins continued to lead with dominance as Abraham scored another goal with over one minute remaining. The final goal was scored by Saint Mary's with another free-position shot, and the final score of the game was 15-3.

Top Performers
Lana Davis led the Bruins with four goals and four draw controls, while Ava Bluhm finished the night with three goals and six draw controls. Morgan Maxfield, Sasha Thayer, and Claire Abraham all scored two goals each—Abraham with three draw controls.

Coach's Thoughts
"We were very strong off the draw tonight," said Bruins head coach Jordyn Merkel. "Mistakes happen, but we'll learn from them - I'm proud of the team for sticking with it." 

What It Means
The Bruins have a 4-1 overall record, while Saint Mary's falls to 1-3 overall.

What Comes Next
The George Fox lacrosse team will stay in their hometown to play against Wisconsin River Falls on Wednesday, March 19th. The game is scheduled to begin at 5:00 pm.