ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University women's lacrosse team secured their second win of the season to start the 2022 campaign over Bethel University on Wednesday evening by a score of 20-8.
The Thunder (2-0) start the season on the right foot with back-to-back victories with a double-digit goal differential. Trine outshot the Pilots (1-2) 38-17 in the game.
"Bethel put together a good scouting report for us," head coach Kevin Cooke stated postgame. "The player on the faceoff (Becca Broadwick) gave us fits in the first half. We were able to make some adjustments on the draw and it helped out a little bit. Having depth in the midfield and a few extra attackers is a huge thing so we can make substitutions and adjustments and get them back out on the field."
Nine different players were able to record goals, coming off the back of the season opener where eight student-athletes were successful on shot attempts.
The first quarter of action was all Thunder as the home team took a 4-0 advantage through the first 15 minutes. After feeling each other out, Trine netted three goals in four minutes. Danielle Gargiulo [Downers Grove, Ill. / Downers Grove] found the back of the net twice while Chloe Vruno [Geneva, Ill. / St. Francis] scored her first of four on the night from minutes six through nine.
Brooke Hoag [Portage, Mich. / Portage] fired one passed the goalie with six seconds left in the quarter to go up 4-0. Hoag would finish the night with two goals on four shots, all on goal.
Bethel seized momentum in a high scoring second quarter with a pair of goals in the first minute of play. However, six of the last seven first half goals belonged to the Thunder. Liv Ghent [Byron Center, Mich. / Caledonia] scored twice, including one off an assist by Ella Dougherty [Lowell, Mich. / Lowell], on her way to a team-high five total goals.
Similar to the second quarter, the Pilots came out of the break hot with two goals, but Vruno and Ghent scored the final five goals by themselves to give Trine a double-digit lead at 15-5.
The lead was further extended in the fourth quarter thanks to three consecutive goals by Calista Richmond [Portage, Mich. / Portage] to reach the 20-8 final score.
Brooklyn Sosinsky [Carmel, Ind. / Carmel] and Nikki Hibler [West Lafayette, Ind. / Harrison] were key to flipping field position with five and four ground balls, respectively. The Thunder picked up twice as many ground balls as Bethel at 28-14.
Jillian Rejczyk [Wauconda, Ill. / Wauconda] picked up her second win in goal while Maddy Kasten [Battle Creek, Mich. / Harper Creek] had four second half saves.
Trine looks to continue their undefeated start to the season on Saturday afternoon when Ohio Northern University comes to Angola to face the Thunder. That game will kick-off at 12 pm on Shive Field.