GAMBIER, Ohio -- The Kenyon College women's lacrosse team kept their impressive start to the 2023 season on track with a 22-11 victory over Washington and Jefferson College. The win was the Owls' third on their home field, boosting their overall mark to a flawless 4-0.

The Presidents (1-2) played the Owls evenly through the opening quarter and even took a 4-3 lead after two early Kenyon scores, but the home team's offense took off and took over the rest of the way. 

The Owls needed just 3:23 to score the first five goals of the second frame and go up 9-4. Mallory Brophy and Kate Lengel each tallied two scores over the stretch, and the duo finished as the team's leading scorers. W&J looked poised to halt Kenyon's momentum with two scores midway through the quarter, but the Owls closed the half with three unanswered goals before extending the run to 5-0 early in the third quarter.

After a stretch where they scored 14 of the game's 17 goals to erase an early 4-3 deficit, Kenyon had all but locked up the victory. The Owls took their first double-digit lead, 17-7, by the midway point of the third frame after Blythe Karras and Spencer Kirsch scored 43 seconds apart.

The teams traded goals the rest of the way before late scores from Julia Losey and Ashley Quinn increased Kenyon's advantage to 22-11 by the final horn. Overall, the Owls outshot the Presidents 45-20, including a 37-15 edge in shots on goal. Kenyon dominated possession by winning 25 of 36 draw controls and gobbling up 20 ground balls to W&J's 16.

It was a balanced scoring effort as 11 Owls garnered goals. Brophy (4) and Lengel (3) led the way while making all their shots on goal, and Lengel chipped in an assist for good measure. Maddie Garner, Karras, Losey, Lily Mason, Caroline O'Neil, and Quinn all tallied two goals as Kenyon's depth and talent shined. Additionally, Tatumn Eccleston, the team's assist leader, added three more, while Karras, Ella Murphy, and Quinn each added two dimes.

Kenyon tied for 11th in scoring (19.33 goals per game) at the NCAA Division III level coming into the game, and the Owls finished with a season-high scoring effort to boost their average to an even 20 goals per game, a mark that would tie for second in the nation as of March 1. It is the third straight time Kenyon has surpassed the 20-point threshold, and the Owls have outscored their opponents 80-27 over their undefeated start to the season.

After playing three of their first four at home in Gambier, the Owls will hit the road for a five-game stretch away from The Field at Benson Bowl. Kenyon starts the slate with a trip to Brockport, New York, to face SUNY Brockport (1-1) on March 10 before closing the month with two games in Panama City Beach, Florida, one in Ohio, and one in Illinois.