PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Picking up their first win of the season, the Millersville women's lacrosse team traveled to Holy Family University where they defeated the Tigers, 18-13. The victory also marked head coach Kaitlyn Hafdell's first win at the helm of the Marauder squad.
Millersville dominated statistically by outshooting the Tigers 40-31, forcing 18 Holy Family turnovers compared to their 12, going 15-for-8 on clears while the Tigers went 16-for-26, and taking 13 free position shots while Holy Family took eight.
Leading the scoring for the Marauders was Ashlyn Simonetti who found the goal four times from eight shots on goal, and Rachel Keeney who recorded a hat trick. Mary Moraca, Hayden Corcoran, Kaleigh Funk, Charlotte Lasak, and Ella Linthicum totaled two goals each and Kaleigh Dunn tallied her first collegiate goal.
HOW IT HAPPENED
•The Marauders took an early 3-0 lead in the first quarter with two goals from Moraca and one from Keeney. Holy Family found the back of the net with 4:46 remaining but the Marauders answered back in less than a minute from Simonetti's first goal of the game to maintain their lead. The Tigers scored their second goal with 10 seconds on the clock to trail the Marauders 4-2.
•The second quarter saw more even play as Millersville outscored the Tigers 8-7. The Marauders tallied 8 of the first 12 goals in 13 minutes of action to lead Holy Family 12-6. An offensive spark by the Tigers generated three goals under 1:33 to trail Millersville 12-9 heading into halftime.
•It took Millersville just under six minutes to score three goals and extend their lead 15-9, two goals were a woman up. The Marauders defense limited Holy Family to notching just two goals in the third quarter from three shots on goal. The Tigers would score their 11th goal with 0:14 seconds till the final quarter, but still trailed the Marauders by five.
•The Marauders and Tigers would both score two goals each in the fourth, but Millersville's lead was just out of reach for Holy Family to catch. Simonetti and Lasak would score the Marauders two goals which extended the gap to seven. Holy Family notched the final two goals of the game, but ultimately would fall to Millersville with a score of 18-13.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
•Simonetti fired off a team-high of eight shots, all of which were on goal. Corcoran and Keeney recorded six shots.
•Scott recorded 13 saves for the Marauders.
•Taiyana Goldsborough scooped up a team-high of five ground balls.
•Millersville won 20 draw controls, compared to 15 from Holy Family.
POST GAME THOUGHTS FROM HEAD COACH KAITLYN HAFDELL
•On the team's first victory of the season: "This game showed how we improved from the first game. There are different things we didn't capitalize on against Jefferson that we improved on today. The freshman showed up today and made a big impact. Ashlyn stepped up and had good placement and off ball movement. She definitely capitalized on the Holy Family's defense and it showed in her performance."
UP NEXT
•Millersville is back on the road to take on PSAC West foe Slippery Rock on Saturday, Mar. 4. The first draw is set for 1 p.m.
