History Made for Women’s Lacrosse in Victory Over Clarke
Oskaloosa. — History was made Saturday as William Penn women’s lacrosse picked up their first Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference victory. With eight goals in each half and Emma Lady (Sr., Richmond, Ind., Masters of Sports Management) picking up her 100th career goal, the Statesmen beat Clarke 16-8. The team improves their record to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the KCAC.
Despite the ever-present wind, it was a beautiful day at Statesmen Community Stadium. With plenty of sun and temperatures in the mid-50s, the Pride and the Statesmen squared off for their first-ever matchup in lacrosse.
The navy and gold were fantastic in the opening stages of the game, scoring a goal a minute over the first five minutes of the contest. First up was Mia Arnone (Fr., St. Louis, Mo., Digital Communication), who took a pass from Bailee Royal (Fr., Hallsville, Texas, Sports Management) and stormed to the slot, throwing her shot into the top of the net as she fell down to put WPU up 1-0. Royal then picked out Lady, who had driven towards the goal crease and pivoted back towards Royal at the top of the arc. With the pass arriving on her stick quickly, Lady fired her first goal in to make it 2-0.
The next offensive possession saw Arnone hold the ball to near side of the goal until Lady popped open on drive right down the middle of the lane, as she pocketed her second goal of the contest. Not wanting to miss out on the action, Royal took a pass from Hallie Clark (Fr., Centerville, Utah) and finished to make it 4-0 with 25:49 remaining. After a timeout from the Pride, the Statesmen made it five goals in five minutes, as Arnone came from behind the net and scored on a mid-ranged shot. Clark then took an apt pass from Lady and skipped it home to make it 6-0 William Penn.
The scoring then dried up for four minutes, as the Statesmen had a couple shots saved. The Pride then bounced back for their first goal of the game but within a minute, WPU replied. Clark held up play and the rest of the team cleared a lane for Royal, who put in her second goal of the day.
Up 7-1, the Statesmen really got to celebrate with 7:56 left in the first half. Arnone took a pass from Royal and with two defenders in her face, picked out the run of Lady, who threw a low liner into the net to score her 100th career collegiate goal, as the team mobbed #9 on the field to celebrate the momentous occasion.
Clarke would score with 39 seconds remaining in the first half but everything else favored William Penn at halftime. The Statesmen were ahead 8-2 on the scoreboard and were out shooting the Pride 18-9. Madison Reed (Fr., Shakopee, Minn., Secondary Education) made five saves in net in the first period and the team was 8-for-13 clearing the ball up the field.
Both teams scored in the first five minutes of the second half, with Lady netting another goal on a pass from Arnone to make it four on the day. However, the Pride soon put the Statesmen in quite the precarious position. After scoring to make it 9-4 WPU, the Statesmen took two penalties within four seconds, both being non-releasable. The Pride put up two quick goals to cut the lead to 9-6. After another penalty, the Pride were up three players and put in another goal to make the score 9-7.
Despite the adversity, William Penn did not falter and scored the next goal, with Rea-Samone Brown (Fr., Graham, Wash., Sociology) charging into the attacking end and picking out Lady, who tucked it in to make it 10-7. Clark then got a beautiful pass from MacKenzie Petersen (Fr., Albertville, Minn., Public Accounting) to make it 11-7 and the team would not look back.
Royal scored again with 10:22 to go in the game and Jenna Donlan (Fr., Tampa, Fla., Business Management) lanced one home 20 seconds later. Up 13-7, the navy and gold conceded just once more on a free position shot. They then got goals from Clark, Petersen, and Lady to secure a superb 18-6 victory over the Pride.
The team out shot Clarke 29-23 and 23-19 in terms of shots on goal. William Penn picked up 11 ground balls, was 13-19 in successful clearances, and also won 14 of the 26 draws. Lady not only got goal #100 but netted six in total for the game, putting up 11 shots of which nine were on target. Clark and Royal each scored three times, while Arnone scored twice. Clark was second on the team with six shots while Royal as one target for all four of her shots. Both Arnone and Lady tied for three assists in the game. In addition, Clark won seven draws, while Reed made 11 saves. It was also a good game for all of the defenders, as Katrina Estes (Sr., Paw Paw, Mich., Biology) picked up three ground balls and looked very good at the back end. Victoria Negron (Fr., Miami, Fla., Exercise Science) also had some strong play, while Annie Gruber (Fr., Eagan, Minn.) looked more comfortable in her new sport, earning more minutes in the victory.
“I am incredibly proud of how the girls played today,” said Head Coach Corrine Smeak. “They played with heart and resilience. Each player was able to contribute in a positive way to today’s win. It was a moment in history, when the buzzer sound. The girls made history by winning their first home game and ringing the victory bell.”
Next Up: The team will be on the road next week, staring off with a matchup against #4 Benedictine on Thursday, March 25, at 4 p.m.
