No. 12 Women's Lacrosse Cruises Past No. 16 Bates, 16-6

Photo by Jonas Powell '18, Recap courtesy of Wesleyan

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The 12th-ranked Wesleyan women's lacrosse team cruised to a commanding 16-6 win over Little Three rival and No. 16 Bates on Smith Field Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals scored nine unanswered goals in the first half and led 12-3 at the break en route to the decisive victory.

Wesleyan was led by Abby Manning (4g), Sydney Prokupek (1g, 3a) and Caitlin Wood (3g, 1a) with four points each as it improved to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the NESCAC. The Bobcats received two goals apiece from Katie Allard and Margaret Smith as they dropped to 3-2 and 1-1.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

• It was a close game early on as the teams exchanged goals within the first 7:20 of play, including three free position goals.
• However, with the game tied at 2-2, Abigail Horst put Wesleyan back on top at the 21:47 mark and the Cardinals would lead the rest of the way.
• Horst's goal sparked a 9-0 Wesleyan run in less than 10 minutes as the home team took a commanding 11-2 lead. Prokupek assisted on three-straight goals and scored on another during the stretch.
• Bates eventually ended the run at the 11:28 mark but another goal by Wesleyan, from Wood at the 4:21 mark, extended the Cardinals' lead to nine (12-3) at the break.
• The home team came out hot to start the second half and scored four unanswered goals to put the game out of reach, 16-3 with 13:57 to play.
• The Cardinals held Bates scoreless until the 11:10 mark of the second. The Bobcats would score the final three goals of the game.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Wesleyan held a commanding 15-8 advantage in draw controls and outshot the Bobcats 29-14. Both teams went 3-7 on free position shots.
• Ten Cardinals factored into the scoring. Breanna Cavanaugh and goalie Allegra Grant led the way with three ground balls each, while Cavanaugh led all players with three caused turnovers. Grant made four saves in 51:58 between the posts and Horst scored twice while leading all players with seven draw controls.
• Bates received six goals from four different players. Defensively, Jillian Futter and Allard led the team with two caused turnovers each and Liv Sandford won four draw controls.

UP NEXT:

• Wesleyan is back in action on Wednesday, March 13 and will host Clark in non-conference action beginning at 4 p.m. on Citrin Field.