Ferguson, Royal, Petersen Combine for 14 Goals in Win

Mount Vernon, Iowa–The William Penn women’s lacrosse team snapped out of their recent funk with a 16-11 victory over the Cornell Rams.

It didn’t take long for the hosts to get on the board, but Emily Ferguson (So., Waterloo, N.Y., Exercise Science) had two goals in as many minutes as the first quarter ended in a 2-2 deadlock. The first of Ferguson’s scores came from the help of Ashlyn Hoffman (So., Bend, Ore., Nursing), and Kenzington Winget (Fr., West Jordan, Utah, Sports Management) received the assist on the second.

After the early goal allowed, the defense continued to play well entering the second, limiting good looks on goal from the Rams as Cornell only took one shot in the first four minutes. The offense took advantage of the strong play on the other end. Bailee Royal (Jr., Hallsville, Texas, Sports Management) scored her first of the day to take the lead, and Ferguson followed with her third to double it.

The Rams finally broke through for two to tie, but the Statesmen ended the half with three unanswered goals to enter the break with a 7-4 lead. MacKenzie Petersen (Jr., Albertville, Minn., Public Accounting) got involved in all three scores, as she gave WPU the lead back with her first score with 2:32 left to play in the half. Then, in the final 38 seconds, she assisted on Ferguson’s fourth goal of the day and got another score with just eight ticks left on the clock.

Just like the first half, the hosts scored within the first minute of the second half. Once again, the navy and gold had an answer. Jenna Donlan (Jr., Tampa, Fla., Business Management) pushed the lead back to three, then back-to-back free position goals by Petersen and Paola Cruz (Jr., Ocala, Fla., Biology) moved the score to 10-5. Royal scored one more, but Cornell finished the quarter on a 3-1 scoring run to cut their deficit to three entering the final frame.

The two teams traded a pair of goals to begin the final quarter, but the Statesmen effectively iced the game with three straight goals from Royal, Ferguson, and Petersen. The Rams got one back, but William Penn closed out their 16-11 win by shutting out the hosts through the final three minutes.

Ferguson had a huge game with six goals, while Royal and Petersen had strong four-score performances as well. Petersen also assisted on four goals as well, and was a disruptive force on defense with six caused turnovers. Madison Reed (Jr., Shakopee, Minn., Secondary Education) finished the game with 14 saves.

What’s Next: The Statesmen are back at home Friday for a matchup against the #6 Benedictine Ravens. The first match of Friday’s doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 1 PM.