Women's Lacrosse rides hot start to 16-13 victory over Albion (Mich.)

ADA — The Ohio Northern women's lacrosse team raced out to an early 10-0 lead and hung on for a 16-13 non-conference victory over Albion (Mich.) on a wet and windy Tuesday evening.

The Basics

• Records: Ohio Northern (6-4 overall), Albion (3-5 overall)
• Venue: Dial-Roberson Stadium - Ada, Ohio.

The Game

• Ohio Northern built a 10-0 lead just 16:18 into the contest, then held off a furious Albion rally to post the victory.
• Eight different Polar Bears scored during the early onslaught, led by fifth-year senior Elizabeth Graham (Dayton/Carroll) and sophomore Rylie Kocik (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) with two goals each.
• The Britons would respond by scoring five of the next six goals to end the half down just 11-5.
• Kocik's score to complete her 3-goal hat trick at the 7:58 mark of the second was Northern's lone score during the stretch.
• AC scored again 2:10 into the third quarter to pull within 11-6.
• ONU goals by freshman Kassidy Elzey (Miamisburg) and sophomore Emma Hoersten (Hilliard/Davidson) just 1:45 apart appeared to stem the tide and extended the lead to 13-6 with 10:28 left in the quarter.
• But Albion kept coming, and scored four of the next five goals to get within 14-10 heading into the fourth period.
• Sophomore Elena Martin (Youngstown/Canfield) completed her three-goal hat trick with 1:12 gone in the final period and Northern's lead was 15-10.
• Elzey got her second goal of the night with 8:25 left in the game to make it 16-11.
• The Polar Bear defense tightened and neither team could score for the next six and a half minutes, until AC got goals just 25 seconds apart to get within 16-13 with 1:27 remaining.
• Martin won the ensuing draw control and Ohio Northern ran out the clock to grab the victory.
• Martin and junior Keaghan Burden (Brunswick) each had a team-high four points to lead Ohio Northern.
• In all, nine different ONU players scored goals in the balanced offensive attack.
• Albion was led by Aaliyah Eudabe with four goals and one assist.
• Senior Chloe Millican (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) had 11 saves on 24 shots on goal for the Polar Bears.
• Albion out-shot Ohio Northern 32-31 and won the ground ball battle 20-10, but the hosts led in draw controls 22-12.

Notables

• Burden is now first all-time in ONU history with 132 career points. She is also ONU's all-time career leader with 79 assists and is eighth with 53 career goals.
• Graham now leads the team with 38 goals and Kocik leads the team with 33 points on 22 goals and 11 assists.
• Burden has a team-best 21 assists to go with 289 points.
• Millican is ONU's all-time career wins leader with 17.
• Ohio Northern has now scored 10 or more goals in nine of its 10 games this season.
• Most of the second quarter was played in driving rain and a strong southerly wind blew for most of the evening.
• Head coach Margo Vandeveld is in her first season at Ohio Northern and has a 6-4 record, a winning percentage of .600.

Up Next

• The Polar Bears will return to action on Friday with a 1 pm contest at OAC foe Capital.