Vermont Downs St. Mary's For First Victory
from press release
DENVER – Sophomore Emma Kelly and
newcomers Lauren Johnson and Sydney Mas all scored a career-high
four goals to lead the Vermont women's lacrosse team to a 19-11
victory over St. Mary's (Calif.) in a neutral site game at the
University of Denver's Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium on Sunday
afternoon.
"I am pleased that we earned our first win of the year. It will
help us gain momentum and build confidence going forward," said
Vermont head coach Jen Johnson.
"We had improved offensive production today. Half our goals were
assisted which showed us working well together and moving the ball
on offensive. I felt like we could have been more competitive on
the defensive end and on the draw. We showed great moments during
the game and then we would have a lapse. We've got to continue to
work to put together a more consistent effort for an entire 60
minutes, but overall I was pleased to get the win today. It was a
step in the right direction for us."
The Catamounts outscored the Gaels 11-5 in the first half. Johnson,
a transfer from Duquesne, gave Vermont a 1-0 lead 38 seconds into
the contest on an 8-meter shot. Mariah Walk evened the score at 1-1
at the 23:11 mark. The Catamounts opened up the game with a 9-1
rally to take a 10-2 lead with 5:07 left in the half.
St. Mary's scored three of the final four goals of the half to
close the margin to six, 11-5, at the break.
In the second half, the Gaels won the battle of the draws, 10-5,
but could not capitalize on its opportunities. Mas was able to lead
UVM in the second stanza, scoring three of her four goals in the
period to help the Catamounts maintain its lead and outscore St.
Mary's 8-6 over the final 30 minutes.
Mas added four draw controls and Caitlyn Clark netted a hat trick
to help the Catamount cause. Natalie Jones, UVM's leading scorer,
and Jen Madsen collected five round balls each in the contest.
Laura Barber, Charlotte Lyons and Elise Mazurak combined for 10
saves in the Vermont net.
Walk led St. Mary's with four goals and five points and teammate
Jillian Chong added a hat trick. Kathleen Wordsdale made 14 saves
for the Gaels in net.
The Catamounts improve to 1-3 on the year, while St. Mary's remains
winless at 0-4.
Vermont returns to action on Wednesday (March 9) when it takes on
Denver at 6 p.m. (EST).
NOTES: Vermont went 11-for-18 on 8-meter shots, while St. Mary's
attempted just eight … The Catamounts out shot St. Mary's
43-30 in the game … UVM scored a season-high 19 goals, four
shy of the school record for goals in a game ... The Catamounts
improve to 2-0 versus the Gaels in the all-time series.
