SALEM, Ore. – It didn't take long for the offense to come alive in their second game of the season following multiple weather and travel cancellations, as the Corban University Women's Lacrosse team (1-1) earned a massive 18-6 home win over NCAA DIII Cornell College (5-2) to kickstart their busy March schedule with a bang.
"I'm very proud of the composure and tenacity we had tonight against a very physically tough team," Warrior's Head Coach Kylie McMinn shared shortly after her team's first win of the 2023 season.
"We had some newer players have some shining moments and some veteran players show off their skills. We're excited to recover well from this game and take what we've learned into our next game this upcoming weekend," McMinn elaborated.
After each team opened the contest by exchanging goals, the Warriors scored three-straight to take a commanding 4-1 lead in the first quarter, with junior attacker Sydney Davis earning a hat trick in the first 10 minutes and 20 seconds of the game with three of the first four goals being scored by the Everett native.
The Rams earned a goal back with less than four minutes remaining in the opening quarter, but freshman attacker Jillian Phillips quickly responded with her first of many goals tonight to give Corban a 5-2 advantage entering the first stoppage.
Phillips opened the second quarter just how she finished the first, scoring on a dish from freshman attacker Naomi Rauch to give the new Navy and Gold addition her first career assist.
Cornell would score almost five minutes later in a man-down situation to pull within three scores, but the Warriors layered on four-straight goals to take a 10-3 lead with less than a minute remaining until the halftime break. Rams' midfielder Brynn Miroslavich snuck a shot through multiple defenders with 19 seconds until the horn sounded, sending everyone to halftime with Corban leading 10-4.
While the Warriors averaging of five goals per period came to rest in the third period, the offensive woes continued for Cornell as well. After Rauch and Davis combined for the first goal of the second half, sophomore midfielder Aleana Godoy scored her second goal of the season on a free position attempt after she was fouled, officially tripling up the Rams 12-4 at this point in the contest.
Cornell attacker Cheyenne Greenenwald secured the Rams only goal of the third period not even two minutes later, scoring on her own free position attempt to stop the scoring streak for the Warriors. However, Davis tacked on her fifth goal of the day with 6:01 remaining in the third quarter, then the Warriors and Rams exchanged possessions over the final minutes to enter the fourth and final quarter with Corban leading 13-5.
The fourth period was all about Phillips, as the freshman put together her own single-quarter hat trick by scoring three of the first four goals the Warriors would go on to score in the fourth quarter, while Davis added another for each of them to finish with six goals apiece when the final horn blew.
With 20 seconds remaining and a running clock due to Corban's massive lead, the Navy and Gold saw one final positive outcome lean in their favor, as sophomore Megan Lia scored her first goal of the season after multiple attempts, earning a trip to the free position line and capitalizing to put the metaphorical cherry on top of a dominate 18-6 win over the Rams.
Corban junior starting goalkeeper Payton Nuse was integral in the Warriors' stunning victory, allowing only six goals, and racking up nine saves to earn her first win of the season.
Rams' starting goalkeeper Hannah Miech suffered her first loss on the season after allowing nine goals in 28 minutes, saving five shots in the process. Her second half replacement, goalkeeper Kathryn Andries, tallied a similar stat line of nine goals allowed and five saves in 32 minutes played.
Davis and Phillips each cashed in six times to tie for the game-high scoring crown, while Godoy and Rauch each scored twice to follow the impressive offensive performance of the lead attackers of the Corban offense. Rauch led the assisting brigade with a pair of dimes this evening, combined with junior midfielder Meredith Pinkerton scoring her second goal on the year to cap off the 18-goal performance from the Warriors.
Greenenwald and attacker Anna Methe each scored a pair of goals for the visiting Rams, while Miroslavich and attacker Sabrina Ibanez rounded out the attacking core for Cornell with a goal apiece.
The Warriors next take the pitch this upcoming Saturday at 1pm PDT on the road, as they'll battle another NCAA DIII foe in the University of Puget Sound (2-3) Baker Stadium on UPS' campus.
Follow Corban Athletics:
Facebook l Twitter l Instagram l Snapchat l YouTube l Email
Download our App: iOS (iPhone/iPad) l Android
