SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Trine University women's lacrosse team built a commanding lead going into half time and then held off the comeback attempt made by their hosts from Wittenberg University, opening the season with a 13-12 victory.
The Thunder opened the scoring just 16 seconds into the first quarter when sophomore Calista Richmond found the back of the net. The team continued to find early success, scoring three more goals in the first four minutes of the game. Juniors Alyssa Keptner, Danielle Gargiulo and Nikki Hibler each tallied a goal during the stretch with senior Ella Dougherty adding an assist.
The Tigers scored the next two goals of the period cutting the lead to 4-2 with two minutes remaining in the first quarter. In those final minutes Trine got back on track. First, freshman Elizabeth Larson tallied a goal with sophomore Courtney Rhodes adding an assist followed by sophomore Brooke Hoag getting her first of the day. The pair of late goals made the score 6-2 heading into the first break.
The second quarter was all about the Thunder, as they scored all four goals of the period. Richmond started the scoring followed by Rhodes and Gargiulo. Finally, freshman Avelyn McCall scored the final goal of the half, the first of her career, giving the team a commanding 10-2 lead at the intermission.
After Keptner scored the opening goal of the second half, it looked like the team would pick up right where they left off, but the 11-2 lead ended up being the largest of the day. The home side scored the next five goals, spanning into the fourth quarter and cutting the lead to 11-7.
Hoag finally handed out a response for Trine, ending the 5-0 run for Wittenberg. She scored two-straight goals to build the lead back to 13-7 with just under 12 minutes remaining in the game.
It almost wasn't enough with the Tigers scoring five more goals to finish out the game. The final one came in the last minute of play cutting the lead to 13-12 and giving them a chance for the tie.
The Thunder defense did just enough in the fourth quarter, holding the opposition to just that one goal in the final six minutes of the game.
Sophomore Maddy Kasten played the game in net for the Thunder earning the win. She finished the game with eight saves.
Trine will return home for their next contest, hosting Bethel University on Monday, February 27. Opening draw is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Zollner Stadium.