Statesmen Breeze Past Saint Mary
Oskaloosa. — With a short day between games, William Penn women’s lacrosse hosted the Spires of Saint Mary (Kan.) on Saturday. With scoring coming from up and down the line up, the Statesmen cleared USM 16-5. The win gets the record for WPU up to 4-6 overall and 3-4 in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.
The navy and gold quickly produced the first shot, as MacKenzie Petersen (Fr., Albertville, Minn., Public Accounting) peppered one wide of the net within the first minute. With the Spires unable to make a clear, both Emma Lady (Sr., Richmond, Ind., Masters of Sports Management) and Hallie Clark (Fr., Centerville, Utah) got to unload shots, but neither could hit the frame. The Spires finally got a shot away and got a free position opportunity right after, but Madison Reed (Fr., Shakopee, Minn., Secondary Education) stepped up to make the save, as she would pitch 17 minutes of shutout action in the first half.
With 25:33 left, Lady was awarded a free position shot and she bounced it home to put WPU ahead 1-0. The teams then exchanged scoring chances, with the Spires getting the next shot but it flew wide of the cage. At the other end, Lady once more got a free position opportunity but the goalie for USM made the stop. Lady would be stopped again a few minutes later, as the visitors were still in the game after the first 10 minutes of action.
Just under the 10 minute mark, Ashlyn Hoffman (Fr., Bend, Ore., Nursing) picked up a ground ball and Mia Arnone (Fr., St. Louis, Mo., Digital Communication) zipped a shot towards the net but could not find the twine. William Penn found the rebound and Hoffman broke free, with Petersen making the perfect pass, to allow Hoffman to slap in a goal to make it 2-0.
The Statesmen then hit their stride, as they put up four goals over six minutes of action. Petersen scored on a man-up opportunity with 17:03 to go. Following that, Arnone and Bailee Royal (Fr., Hallsville, Texas, Sports Management) scored just 28 seconds apart to make it 5-0. WPU then got a goal from Clark on a great find by Arnone to go up 6-0 with 11:03 left in the first half. Paola Cruz (Jr., Ocala, Fla., Biology) then looked to have scored her first goal on the lacrosse field, but her release caught a defender in the head and it was called off.
Lady then took over as the chief distributor, as she set up two scores for Petersen and one for Arnone. The navy and gold might have been ahead 9-0, but USM never quite, as Reed was then forced to to make a stop with 4:24 to go. However, the Spires final got one past Reed with 3:49 to go, ending the shutout. Royal and Lady each scored once more, with Lady’s coming with 21 seconds left in the half, to put William Penn ahead 11-1.
WPU outshot Saint Mary 23-10 in the first half, picked up more ground balls, (16-9), won nine of the 12 draws, and was 12-for-13 on successful clearances. Reed made five saves in the first 30 minutes of action.
Clark got the Statesmen on the board immediately out of the break, as she scored on a pass from Petersen just 20 seconds in. After a penalty, Rea-Samone Brown (Fr., Graham, Wash., Sociology) then got her first goal in her college career, faking low before shooting high as she crossed the top of the crease.
The Spires then had their best phase of the game, as they got three free position shots in a row. However, they missed two and Reed made the save on the final attempt. USM then reloaded and ramped up their attack, scoring three goals in a row over six minutes of game time. Ahead 13-4 with 10 minutes remaining, William Penn got back on the scoresheet with a goal from Petersen, as she set a new career-high with a four-goal game.
After another goal for USM, the Statesmen closed out the game with two final goals. One came from Arnone, with Lady picking up the assist, making in 15-5.
During the second half, WPU had tried to feed a couple of their defenders and new players, but aside from Samone-Brown, none could convert the chance into a goal. With the clocking winding down, Victoria Negron (Fr., Miami, Fla., Exercise Science) was given the green light to venture forward again. Picking the ball out of a scrum in the crease, Negron was fouled and got a free position shot just at the top of the inner arc on the near side. Scuttling down towards the crease, Negron bounced in her first collegiate goal, pairing it with one of the more joyous celebrations of the year. With the clock running out, the Statesmen collected the 16-5 win.
The navy and gold outshot the Spires 30-23 in the game, with a 22-14 edge in shots on goal. WPU also had an advantage in ground balls (20-14), draw controls (12-8), and clears (15-19 WPU, 12-22 USM). Reed made nine saves in the game. All the attackers got in on the fun, with Petersen leading the way with four goals, seven shots, six on target, and two assists. Lady had two goals and four helpers, with five of her six shots hitting the net. Arnone had a trio of goals and Clark and Royal each had two.
“The girls had another great win today,” said Head Coach Corrine Smeak. “They are continuing to play for one another and this was shown with having eight different girls score this afternoon. Each game thus far, they have each grown as players and as a cohesive unit. I’m excited to see what they do next.”
Next Up: The team will hit the road next, with their first stop being Sioux City. They will take on Morningside on Friday, April 9, at 3:30 p.m.
