Box Score NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox lacrosse team claimed their first victory against the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers in a dominant 23-1 win to open up the year.

How It Happened
In the first two minutes of the opening quarter, Fox took their goal when Sasha Thayer shot a goal, assisted by Ava Bluhm, marking the Bruins ahead 1-0. Then, less than thirty seconds later, Lana Davis scored a strong goal immediately following, gaining a good 2-0 lead.

Draw control was won by the Mountaineers, but the ground ball was picked up by Audrey White, charging towards Eastern's defence. Meanwhile, Merrick Gibson gained possession, passed it to Ava Bluhm who then scored. Another half-minute later, Lana Davis made her second goal of the game (and season) after an assist from Thayer—the Bruins were up 4-0.

Things were quiet for a few minutes, as the Mountaineers tried to gain control, but Fox was too strong as Davis scored again. She picked up draw control immediately after, attempting to score, but missed, until Alli Stilp picked it up and shot—it was saved by the goalkeeper though. 

However, this didn't stop Stilp, as she continued to shoot until she scored, and that she did, marking the scoreboard 6-0. Davis and Bluhm scored one goal each in the final six minutes of the quarter, and Gibson finished off the period, tallying the score an impressive 9-0.

In the second quarter, Gibson picked up where she left with another goal—10-0. With eleven minutes remaining, Lana Davis scored beautifully with a man down on a free-position goal. In the final two minutes of the period, Bluhm picked up the ground ball, and then scored with another man down. Bluhm then won draw control right after, giving the ball to Davis who then passed it to Naomi Rauch—scoring a smooth goal, up 16-0.

Eastern made their first goal in the beginning of the third quarter, just after Davis scored. The score was 17-1, and Fox was making sure their players played as Bluhm passed the ball to Jasmine Uresti, who scored a goal. A few minutes later, Anna Newkirk scored a goal, marking a strong 19-1.

Neither team scored at the end of third, or at the start of the final quarter, but Stilp and Thayer made back-to-back goals, with an amazing 21-1 advantage. Eventually, with six minutes left of the game, the Junior Jenna Clark scored a beautiful goal, assisted by Davis. Fox won the draw control after that, and various shots were made, staying close to the goal, until Callie Olson made the final goal of the game—claiming a 23-1 victory, and a great kick-off to their young season.

Top Performances
Lana Davis was a top performer with six goals total, four assists, and seven draw controls won. Sasha Thayer scored three goals and three assists, while Ava Bluhm made three goals and three assists as well, also having four win draw controls. Merrick Gibson also scored three goals with two assists, and Alli Stilp had three goals, one assist, and was victorious over three draw controls.

What It Means
George Fox rises to 1-0 while Eastern Oregon falls to 0-3 in the new season.

Coach's Thought's 
"It was a great way to begin the season," said Bruin head coach Jordyn Merkel. "I loved watching these players compete and work together."

What Comes Next
The Bruins will play their next game against the Redlands Bulldogs on Saturday, February 28th, starting at 11:00 am.