RIVER FALLS, Wis. – The UW-River Falls women's lacrosse team delivered another dominant performance Friday evening, defeating No. 3 seed UW-La Crosse 12-6 in the WIAC Semifinals at home on Ramer Field to advance to the conference championship.
The Falcons wasted little time setting the tone of the game as they jumped out to an early 3-1 lead in the first quarter. Avery Watzke opened the scoring in the 13th minute before Samantha Hayek went for back-to-back unassisted goals, giving the Falcons early control.
UW-River Falls separated themselves in the second quarter, outscoring the Eagles 5-2, taking an 8-3 lead into break. The Falcons capitalized on four player-up opportunities during that stretch, with Natasha Berthiaume, Elizabeth Clough and Molly Pierce each converting, extending the lead. Momentum carried into the third, where Hayek and Watzke each added goals to push the lead to 10-3.
Offensively, the Falcons were led by a trio of hat tricks, as Hayek, Berthiaume and Watzke each finished the night with three goals. Watzke added three assists for a game-high six points, while Brooke Glumack added two assists.
Defensively, UW-River Falls controlled the pace, forcing 25 turnovers and winning the ground ball battle 21-14. The Falcons were also nearly perfect in clears, going 23-of-24. Goalkeeper Annelise Rommeck recorded four saves in the win while anchoring a defense that held the Eagles scoreless in the third quarter.
UW-La Crosse looked to rally in the fourth quarter with three goals, but the Falcons answered each push and maintained their lead to secure the 12-6 victory. The win marks UW-River Falls' second victory over the Eagles this season, having previously defeated them 17-10 in the regular season.
With the win, the Falcons advance to the WIAC Championship, where they will host Colorado College on Sunday, May 3 at 12:00 p.m. at Ramer Field. The matchup will serve as another stellar rematch that saw Colorado College edge out UW-River Falls 13-12 in overtime, making Sunday's championship both a title opportunity for the Falcons and a chance to even the score on their home turf.
