ELMHURST, Ill. - Lewis & Clark College women's lacrosse began their spring break road trip through the Midwest with a commanding 19-5 victory over Elmhurst University on Sunday afternoon.
THE BASICS
Lewis & Clark 19, Elmhurst 5
(Lewis & Clark 6-2)
(Elmhurst 5-3)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Junior Kate Meinhard and sophomore Aviana Gonzales powered the Pioneers' offense with identical stat lines: four goals and three assists each. First-year Mack Searle added three goals and two assists, collecting a team-high five draw controls and second with four ground balls.
Sophomores Finley Allen and Evelyn Burnett each recorded an assist, contributing to a program-record 10 assists against the Bluejays. Allen also scored three goals, while Burnett added two. Sage Swegle scored twice, and Ally Vargas-Buell netted her first career goal as the sophomores rounded out the scoring.
First-year goalkeeper Kaitlin McRae earned her fifth win in goal with two saves and two caused turnovers in just over 40 minutes of play. Sophomore Lauren Elliott anchored the defense with a team-high five ground balls and three caused turnovers.
Lewis & Clark opened the game with a dominant 4–0 run in the first quarter. Gonzales put the Pioneers on the board at 12:56 with an unassisted goal. Swegle doubled the lead at 11:55 on a Searle assist before adding another at 8:27. Searle converted a free-position shot at 7:48 to make it 4–0.
Elmhurst responded with two quick goals from MC Brown at 3:17 and 2:43, both assisted by Gracie Eastman, to cut the deficit to 4–2 by the end of the first quarter. Eastman scored unassisted at 14:06 of the second quarter to make it 4–3.
The Pioneers then surged ahead with a 5–0 run to close the half. Vargas-Buell kicked off the stretch with her first collegiate goal at 13:07 on an assist from Gonzales. Searle followed with a goal at 11:01, also assisted by Gonzales, before adding an unassisted goal at 2:29 to complete her hat trick. Gonzales scored twice in the final 1:09 of the half—first from Allen at 1:09, then from Meinhard with just 13 seconds left—to complete her first hat trick and give Lewis & Clark a 9–3 halftime lead.
Lewis & Clark outscored Elmhurst 7–1 in the third quarter. Burnett opened with an unassisted goal at 13:47, and Allen followed at 10:53. Eastman briefly interrupted the run with a goal at 9:23, but the Pioneers responded with five straight.
Meinhard scored at 9:03 on a Searle assist. Allen converted a man-up opportunity at 6:50 from Meinhard, who then assisted Gonzales at 6:29 for Gonzales' hat trick. Allen completed her hat trick unassisted at 2:32, and Meinhard closed the quarter with another unassisted goal at 0:34 to make it 16–4.
The Pioneers added three more goals in the fourth quarter while holding Elmhurst to one. Gonzales assisted Burnett for a man-up goal at 10:25 to open the frame. Meinhard followed with her third goal at 8:58, assisted by Burnett, completing her second hat trick. After Eastman scored Elmhurst's final goal on a free-position shot at 7:26, Meinhard capped her four-goal day with an unassisted score at 2:53 to seal the 19–5 win.
BY THE NUMBERS
· Gonzales and Meinhard became the second and third Pioneers in program history to record hat tricks in both goals and assists in a single game. Swegle previously achieved the feat with five goals and three assists on Feb. 24, 2024, at Augsburg.
· Allen and Searle each recorded three goals, giving the Pioneers a program-record six hat tricks in one game.
· Meinhard (3), Gonzales (3), Searle (2), Allen (1) and Burnett (1) combined for a program-record 10 team assists in a single game.
· Lewis & Clark caused 13 of Elmhurst's 23 turnovers, while the Bluejays forced just two of the Pioneers' 13.
· Elliott leads the team with 16 caused turnovers and is tied for second in the Northwest Conference in the category.
· Searle tallied her program-record third game-winning goal; her score at 11:01 in the second quarter marked the Pioneers' sixth point.
WHO'S NEXT
Lewis & Clark concludes its road trip with a 90-mile trek north to Wisconsin to face the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Tuesday at 4 p.m. Pacific / 6 p.m. Central.
