Women's Lacrosse Earns First Program Victory Against Lycoming

BALTIMORE, MD - The Goucher College Gophers (6-7 overall, 2-3 conference) hosted the Lycoming College Warriors (3-9 overall, 0-5 conference) on Wednesday evening. The Gophers secured the win, 13-9, which marked the first time Goucher Women's lacrosse beat Lycoming in program history.

The Gophers opened the contest after Dakhai Handy won the opening draw. Despite this, the Warriors won the ball back off a turnover, recording a quick shot, forcing Kennedy Harper early. Lycoming opened the scoring of the game at the 10:34 mark. Harper added a save off a shot three minutes later, but the Warriors quickly got the ball back to find the back of the net to give them an early two-goal lead (7:34). After a won draw control, the Gophers responded with their first goal of the night coming 30 seconds later from junior, Imani Ward. Two minutes later, Lycoming countered with a man-up goal. Emma Nelson found the back of the net, off a pass from Wrenn Harney, with 3:44 left on the clock in the first quarter. 40 seconds later, Harney tied the game at three off a free-position goal. The Gophers closed out the quarter with a goal coming from Katie Bloom to give them a 4-3 lead going into the second.

The Gophers carried the momentum from the first quarter, with a goal from Bloom, assisted by Harney, with just over 10 minutes on the clock. The Warriors ended the game's five-minute scoring drought to bring them within one. Following a Gaby Cruz Santiago ground ball, the Gophers stormed down the field, which led to a Ward goal, assisted by Camden West (3:57). Harper saved a Warriors free position attempt, which resulted in a goal from Tatiana Emeruwa, assisted by Harney (00:24). West and Emeruwa teamed up to end the half for the Gophers, scoring in the last three seconds to give them an 8-4 lead heading into halftime.

Lycoming opened up the half scoring under two minutes. On the defensive end, Angelena Holmes caused a turnover that allowed Dayana Flores Bermudez to scoop up a ground ball. Her possession drew green cards against Lycoming, leading to a man-up goal for Nelson, assisted by Emerua (8:56). The Gophers quickly tacked on another goal with Ward scoring the hat-trick to give them a five-goal lead (6:51). After winning the ensuing faceoff, the Warriors answered with a goal. Less than a minute later, the Warriors scored back-to-back man-up goals, bringing them within two. Lycoming ended the quarter with a goal under two minutes, to bring the score to 10-9 going into the final quarter.

The first six minutes featured neutral gameplay, with only one shot from each team. With 8:24 left on the clock, West took over the fourth quarter, scoring her first goal of the quarter. The Gophers maintained possession, allowing West to score a man-up goal four minutes later. Bloom found the back of the net for the final goal of the game with 1:23 on the clock, giving the Gophers a 13-9 win on the night.

Harney led the team with six points in the contest, from one goal and five assists. West followed with four points off three goals and one assist. Holmes led the Gophers defensively with three caused turnovers. Nelson and Harper led the team with four ground balls each. Haprer added 60 minutes in goal with six saves on 15 shots.

The teams were close statistically. The Gophers outshot the Warriors, 29-20, while Lycoming held the edge, collecting more ground balls (22-21). Goucher dominated the draw control, winning 17 of the 24 draws. Handy led the draw team, winning 10, while Bloom added three.

The Gophers return to action next on the road at Juniata on Saturday, April 11^th for a 1pm draw.