Second-Half Surge: Bulldogs Lacrosse Topples Chapman 14-7

Source: goredlands.com

Photo by Adrian Williams

Junior attacker Emily Webster (front) has scored in 26 consecutive games as of March 14

The University of Redlands women's lacrosse team (5-2, 2-1 SCIAC) used a big second half to secure a 14-7 win over Chapman University Saturday afternoon at Farquhar Field.

The Bulldogs got off to a fast start with senior Emily Webster (Ladera Ranch, California), sophomore April Bryant (Danville, California), and junior Ella Batarse (Porter Ranch, California) giving them a 3-0 advantage after seven minutes of action.

Chapman, though, came back with five of the next six goals, taking a 5-4 lead and swinging the momentum with 6:52 to play in the opening half.

After four minutes with no goals generated, Redlands senior Cailin Walker (Portland, Oregon) found the back of the net with a player-advantage goal. That sparked a 3-0 run the rest of the half, giving Redlands a 7-5 lead at the break. The other two goals came from sophomore Gwenyth Guico (Camano Island, Washington) and sophomore Nicole Sanders (Tustin).

Coming out of the half, Redlands head coach Sean Hansen made some adjustments that paid off, as the Bulldogs started clicking on both ends of the field. Sanders found senior Mallory Morrissey (Coronado), pushing the lead to 8-5 before the Panthers responded.

That Chapman goal, however, would be its last for almost 19 minutes as Redlands scored five unanswered to take a commanding 13-6 lead with 7:31 remaining in the game. Guico and Bryant each had a pair of goals, while Webster tallied her second of the game during the stretch.

Following the Panthers' seventh goal, Guico got inside and converted after collecting a ground ball in front of the keeper to push her total to four.

Sophomore Courtney Myers (Gig Harbor, Washington) had another strong game between the posts with eight saves and a game-high six ground balls. Sophomore Sophia Simonds (Livermore) added three ground balls and three caused turnovers. Senior Natalie Schumann (Murrieta) and junior Maya Weaver (Tustin) tacked on five more caused turnovers to the Bulldogs' total.

Offensively, Bryant and Guico each had four goals. Sanders scored once and assisted on two others. Webster maintained her goal-scoring streak, which now sits at 26 games, giving her sole possession of the second-longest streak in program history.

The Bulldogs head to Thousand Oaks to face off with California Lutheran University next Saturday, March 21, beginning at 11 a.m.