WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- The George Fox women's lacrosse team beat the Occidental Tigers by nine points, getting out early and leading wire-to-wire in the victory.

How It Happened
The first goal of the game was scored by Merrick Gibson in the first four minutes — and then immediately following was Lana Davis with a strong shot to give Fox a 2-0 lead. Though Occidental responded with a goal, Fox quickly took control. 

Ava Bluhm won the ensuing draw control and drove down the center field, finding junior Claire Abraham scoring shortly after. The draw control was won again by Bluhm, and two more goals were scored consecutively with Davis and Abraham advancing the score by a landslide 5-1. By the end of the first quarter, Occidental scored on a free-position shot, but Fox was still ahead by three at 5-2. 

The Tigers scored again in the second period, but Fox didn't let them stay close as Alli Stilp scored on a free-position shot. Meanwhile, Davis won the next draw-control, as Jenna Clark caused a turnover in strong defense. Jasmine Uresti scooped up a ground ball, and another goal was claimed as Davis shot the ball straight into the net—ahead 7-3. Then, with just one second left of the quarter, Sasha Thayer scored a goal after a groundball pickup by Gibson. The period finished off with a nice 8-3 lead for the Bruins.

Fox gained momentum with two more goals—Davis won draw control, passed it to Naomi Rauch who then gave it to Alli Stilp playing a little hot potato when Stilp launched the ball into the net. Stilp then won the next draw control, and Rauch was able to score as well, marking a seven-point lead 10-3. The game shifted to a defensive one as neither team scored for over six minutes, but Fox scored at the literal last second — thanks to another score by Davis, capping off the third quarter with a goal to make it 11-3 with 0.2 seconds remaining.

The Bruins were still strong in the fourth period when Bluhm scored a solid goal—marking number twelve for Fox that day. The Tigers scored two final goals, but couldn't quite catch up as the Lady Bruins made two more points in a row by Audrey White and Bluhm. The game ended with a 14-5 win for Fox—another win for the books.

Top Performances
Lana Davis was a top performer with four goals scored, three assists and five draw-controls, while Claire Abraham made two goals and two draw-controls. Ava Bluhm had two goals, two assists and six draw-controls, as Alli Stilp also made two goals, with one assist and one draw-control won. For the goalies, Kat Ellet and Gabrielle McClung each had four saves total, while Ellet picked up the win

What It Means
With the win, the Bruins rise to 4-1 on the early season, while the Tigers fall to 2-5.

Coach's Thoughts
"Incredibly proud of how this team played tonight," said Bruins head coach Jordyn Merkel. "They played as one, every single player contributed and had a part in the win tonight. High energy from warm-ups all the way through the entire game. Truly worked and earned this win tonight."

What Comes Next
The Bruins will travel to Salem, Ore. to play against the Willamette Bearcats on Sunday, March 15. The game is scheduled for 12:00 pm.