Statesmen Come Up Just Short Against Northwestern
St. Paul, Minn.–The William Penn women’s lacrosse team was narrowly edged out by the Northwestern Eagles on Saturday, falling by a score of 14-11.
Neither team had much momentum early in the game offensively, but the hosts got on the board first after converting a free position opportunity with just over three minutes off the clock. The Statesmen had a number of shots on goal, but could not convert them for scores. On the other end, Madison Reed (Jr., Shakopee, Minn., Secondary Education) made three saves to keep the deficit at one, and MacKenzie Petersen (Jr., Albertville, Minn., Public Accounting) finally got the equalizer. Petersen scored another on a free position shot, but the Eagles scored two more times to enter the second with the lead.
Unfortunately, Northwestern struck quickly in the second, getting two quick scores to extend their lead to three. They added two more later in the frame, and although Bailee Royal (Jr., Hallsville, Texas, Sports Management) was able to cut into the lead with her first goal, WPU entered halftime trailing 7-3.
The navy and gold struggled offensively after the break, managing only one shot through the first eight minutes of the half as the hosts extended their lead to 9-3 with another pair of scores. Petersen got things back on track with another score, sparking a 5-2 scoring run to end the third to trim the deficit to three. After Petersen’s score, Royal took over with four goals in a row.
Kenzington Winget (Fr., West Jordan, Utah, Sports Management) brought the score to within two with her first goal, and Petersen once again cut the Northwestern lead to two a few minutes later. Unfortunately, the Statesmen could not quite close the gap as the Eagles finished the victory with three more scores down the stretch.
Royal led the Statesmen with five goals, with Petersen trailing just behind her with four. Winget had a score, as did Ashlyn Hoffman (So., Bend, Ore., Nursing). Reed finished the game with 13 saves.
What’s Next: The Statesmen have a week off until their next matchup Saturday against the Midland Warriors. That game is scheduled to begin at noon.
