GAMBIER, Ohio -- The Kenyon College women's lacrosse team put on a commanding performance in their first home conference matchup of the season, defeating the Oberlin College Yeowomen 19-1 on Tuesday afternoon. With the impressive victory, the Owls improved their record to 5-6 overall and 1-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), while Oberlin fell to 6-6 overall and 0-2 in the NCAC.

From the opening whistle, Kenyon demonstrated their offensive dominance, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first period with two goals from Ashley Auerbach that bookended scores from Spencer Kirsch and Elena Zuvekas. The Owls continued their dominance in the second period, adding five more goals to extend their lead to 9-0 at halftime.

The scoring barrage continued throughout the second half as Kenyon's offensive execution proved too much for Oberlin to handle. The home team tacked on five more in the third before the Yeowomen's fourth-quarter score was followed by five more Kenyon goals. Kirsch and Auerbach led the Owls with four goals each, while Blythe Karras contributed two goals and three assists for a team-high five points. Zuvekas also tallied two goals and two assists in the victory, marking her season's first two goals.

Defensively, Kenyon was equally impressive, holding Oberlin to just one goal, which came in the fourth period. The Owls outshot their opponents 42-14 and dominated nearly every statistical category, including ground balls (25-11) and caused turnovers (8-3). Lia Stewart and Maddie Ratcliffe led the way, forcing two turnovers apiece. Goalkeepers Nola Garand and Meagan Lacombe combined for nine saves, with Garand stopping all seven shots she faced. The duo was dominant against free position shots, holding the Yeowomen to an 0-for-6 mark.

The victory showed off Kenyon's balanced attack, with eight different players finding the back of the net. Bridgette Cassidy, Delaney Champeau, Lily Mason, Charlotte Skelly, and Susannah Zimmerman all contributed goals to the impressive team effort.

The Owls will look to build on this momentum as they continue their conference schedule, facing Denison University in a crucial NCAC matchup on Saturday, April 12, at 1 p.m. on the road. This commanding conference can help propel the Owls into the rematch of last season's NCAC Tournament championship as Kenyon looks to remain in the hunt as a conference contender.