NEWBERG, Ore. -- The George Fox women's lacrosse team got the tough-earned win against the Whitman Blues. After a great back-and-forth match, the Bruins came out victorious, 13-12. 

How It Happened
Audrey White kicked off the game in the third minute of the game with a goal off a free position shot, immediately putting the Bruins up by one. Lana Davis kept the momentum rolling, winning the draw control, then being assisted by Ava Bluhm for a goal of her own, 2-0. Kat Ellett kept the Blues out, tallying up two saves before the sixth minute, where White got on the board again, this time with an assist to Alli Stilp. Two minutes later, Whitman joined the score with a goal of their own, 3-1. In the minutes following, they scored two more times, tying up the game after one, 3-3.

The second period started with a handful of turnovers and shots on both sides before the Blues were successful with an attempt, now up 3-4. Ellett tracked another two saves, but couldn't stop all of them, as Whitman found another. Claire Abraham didn't let them hold that victory for long, scoring the fourth goal for the Bruins off a free-position shot. The Blues responded shortly after, 4-6. Fox had a free position attempt, but couldn't find the net, closing out the second. 

Bluhm earned her first goal of the game in the 11th minute of the third, assisted by Davis. Less than a minute later, Davis came right back with a goal after an assist by Sasha Thayer, 6-6. Immediately following, Whitman took the lead again, then got another one in the eighth minute, now 6-8. Fox attempted two more shots before Bluhm assisted Davis for a goal, leading straight to Davis assisting Abraham for another one, equalizing the score (8-8). Bluhm and Davis were staying active, Davis racking another assist, Bluhm finishing and taking the lead, 9-8. Gabrielle McClung was now in for the Bruins at goal, and denied the Blues twice to end the period. 

The fourth was a nail-biter for the crowd as both teams battled it out. The Bruins started on a 4-0 run. After a save by McClung, Fox carried it upfield, Gibson passing to Stilp for the finish, 10-8. Less than a minute later, Davis secured another one for Fox after a successful free-position shot. Another free position attempt was taken by Thayer and found the back of the net. Abraham won the draw control, leading to Davis assisting Bluhm again, 13-8. 

The Blues won the next draw control and scored directly following. In the same minute, they found the net again (13-10). McClung tallied three more saves, but Whitman was relentless, eventually finding success for a goal. In the final minute, a free position shot put the Blues right behind Fox, 13-12, but the Bruins stayed composed. Despite a turnover in the final seconds, GFU's defense held firm, not allowing a shot from Whitman in the final 20 seconds to earn the one-goal win.

Top Performances 
Lana Davis led with four goals and assists, as well as five draw controls. Ava Bluhm followed with three goals and two assists. Claire Abraham and Alli Stilp scored two and won two draw controls. Audrey White and Sasha Thayer earned one goal and one assist. Gabrielle McClung got the win in goal with eight saves, while Kat Ellett had six.

What It Means
The Bruins now go 7-3 overall (1-0 NWC), while the Blues are 4-6 (0-1 NWC). 

What Comes Next
The Bruins will stay at home to compete against the Whitworth Pirates, Saturday, April 4th, beginning at 1 PM.