NEWBERG, Ore. – It was a beautiful day for the George Fox women's lacrosse team to celebrate their seniors and crush the Linfield Wildcats, 21-2, on a big day for the GFU offense.
How It Happened
Before the game began, Fox honored their four seniors who have made a lasting impact and legacy on the program -
Sasha Thayer,
Lana Davis,
Audrey White, and
Ava Bluhm.
While the team honored the seniors, it was sophomore
Merrick Gibson sho kicked off the scoring streak for the Bruins after an assist by
Jasmine Uresti. Davis won the draw control immediately — a sign of things to come —and kept the ball before passing it to
Claire Abraham to finish the play, 2-0. Bluhm found more success on a free-position shot in the 11th minute. Davis completed another attempt, as well as Bluhm with two, before the Wildcats scored their first, 6-1. Both teams had a collection of shot attempts before
Alli Stilp broke the cycle, finding her first of the game. In the final minutes of the period, Thayer and Davis added to the Bruins' stack, 9-1.
Fox stayed on fire, not letting up in the second. Gibson, Davis, and Abraham added to their day's total.
Audrey White saw the back of the net to make sure all seniors scored on their special day, 13-1. Kat Ellet kept Linfield out with three saves, while
Lana Davis added to her stat-filled career: the senior broke the single season draw controls record in the first half thanks to a whopping nine.
Fox kept dominating, with
Naomi Rauch opening up the half to put a goal on her record. Gibson followed, assisted by White. In the 11th and 10th minutes, Abraham and Bluhm kept their tally going, now 17-1. With five minutes remaining, Linfield scored its second and final goal on the day, 17-2.
The final period showed four more goals for the Bruins. Thayer completed two shots back-to-back, one off a free-position shot. The Bruins' defense stayed on it, the Wildcats remaining on the struggle bus. Davis found success yet again, and
Anna Newkirk closed out the game for the Fox in the fifth minute, as Ellet saved two more. Fox walked away with a blowout, 21-2 win.
Top Performances
Ava Bluhm led with four goals, as well as three ground ball pickups and one assist.
Lana Davis was also the top scorer, finding four and four assists, and a whopping 13 ground ball pickups — tied for the most in program history with Lois Ray — to carry the defense.
Claire Abraham scored three as well as four ground ball pickups and draw controls.
Sasha Thayer and
Merrick Gibson held three goals.
Anna Newkirk,
Audrey White,
Naomi Rauch, and
Alli Stilp each scored one. Kat Ellet got the win in goal, totaling eight saves.
What It Means
The Bruins add to their win record, now 12-3 (7-0 NWC) as the Wildcats move to 5-9 (3-4 NWC).
Coach's Thoughts
"Today they played really well as a solid unit," said Bruin head coach
Jordyn Merkel. "Our seniors showed great leadership and left their mark today!"
What Comes Next
The Bruins will play their last regular-season game against Lewis and Clark on Sunday, April 26th, at 1 PM.