ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The UW-River Falls women's lacrosse team opened conference play in strong fashion on Wednesday evening, defeating the College of Saint Benedict 13-8 on the road to begin WIAC action at 1-0.
The Falcons set the tone early, jumping out to a 5-3 lead after the first quarter. Macy Patton opened the scoring for UW-River Falls before a pair of goals from Samantha Hayek and another from Avery Watzke helped build an early advantage. Elizabeth Clough added a late first-quarter goal to keep momentum on the Falcons' side.
UW-River Falls extended its lead in the second quarter, scoring twice in the opening minutes as Murphi Specht and Anna Plath found the back of the net. The Falcons held Saint Benedict to just one goal in the quarter, carrying a 3 goal lead into halftime.
Saint Benedict threatened in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 7-6 midway through the period. However, the Falcons responded with a rally behind a two man-up goals from Clough and additional tallies from Natasha Berthiaume to stretch the lead to 10-6 heading into the final frame.
In the fourth, Clough and Hayek each added goals early in the quarter before Specht capped the scoring for the Falcons, sealing the 13-8 victory.
Defensively, Annelise Rommeck recorded seven saves in net to earn the victory, helping hold Saint Benedict to just eight goals on 23 shots.
As a team, the Falcons controlled possession throughout the contest, outshooting Saint Benedict 46-23 and winning the draw control battle 16-8.
UW-River Falls improves to 7-2 overall and 1-0 in WIAC play with the win.
The Falcons return to Ramer Field on Friday, March 27 to face Augsburg University. The contest will highlight "Morgan's Message," and fans are encouraged to wear teal in support of student-athlete mental health awareness.
