HIRAM, Ohio – A dominant first half helped pave the way for the Kenyon Ladies to earn a 19-5 North Coast Athletic Conference lacrosse win at Hiram College on Wednesday night at Henry Field.
 
With the victory, the Ladies improved to 10-2 and 3-0 in the NCAC for just the third time since joining the league. Plus, it was the ninth-straight win for the team, tying the single-season record set in 2013.
 
After the opening draw control went Hiram's way, Avery Morgan forced a turnover off Gianna Palmieri, gave the ball to Kenyon, and just a few moments later, Brett Bearrows fed Cassie Hudson-Heck for the first goal of the contest.
 
That was one of six first-half scores for Hudson-Heck, the NCAC leader with 52 goals.
 
Hudson-Heck's goal started a 10-0 run for Kenyon, which led by double digits following Jayne Gelman's score at the 15:42 mark of the first half.  In addition to Hudson-Heck's and Gelman's contributions, Maggie Grabowski, Julia Mahoney, Sarah Griswold, Lucy Somers and Bearrows all scored for the Ladies.
 
By halftime, Kenyon led 13-2, had advantages in shots (27-7), ground balls (20-9) and committed fewer turnovers than Hiram (14-7).
 
After the break, the Ladies scored the first six goals of the second half, including a pair from Somers and Hudson-Heck to extend their lead to 19-2. For Hudson-Heck, she finished the game with a career-high eight goals.
 
Defensively, Kenyon caused more turnovers (12) than Hiram attempted shots (11). In goal, senior Carina Barnes collected three saves while first-year Genevieve Harding stopped another.
 
Next on the schedule for Kenyon is another NCAC road game coming on Saturday at Wittenberg University.