SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Kenyon College women's lacrosse team closed out its regular season in commanding fashion Saturday afternoon, erupting for an 18-6 victory over Wittenberg University at Edwards-Maurer Field in North Coast Athletic Conference action.
With the win, the Owls secured third place in the conference standings and the No. 3 seed in the upcoming NCAC Tournament. Kenyon finishes the regular season 9-7 overall and 5-2 in conference play, while the Tigers fall to 4-13 overall and finish winless in NCAC competition.
Wittenberg struck first just 51 seconds into the contest, but Kenyon wasted little time responding. At the 13:11 mark of the opening quarter,
Spencer Kirsch answered with the equalizer before
Lily Mason followed just 37 seconds later, giving the Owls their first lead at 2-1.
After the Tigers briefly tied the game again, KC seized control with a relentless scoring burst.
Charlotte Skelly ignited the run with a go-ahead goal at 9:59, and
Ella Baxter added another at 8:17 to stretch the margin. Skelly continued her tear, netting back-to-back goals at 6:15 and 5:13, both set up by
Delaney Champeau and Kirsch, to push the Owls ahead 6-2. She capped the quarter with yet another strike at the 0:25 mark, giving Kenyon a 7-3 lead after one.
The Owls kept its foot on the gas early in the second quarter. At 11:11, Kirsch buried a goal off a feed from Baxter, and just seconds later at 11:09, Baxter capitalized on a man-up opportunity to extend the lead to 9-3.
Ella Rigoli joined the scoring moments later at 10:43, as the Owls jumped ahead 10-3. Wittenberg responded with a brief push, scoring three times in the middle of the quarter to cut the deficit to 10-6. But that would be the Tigers' final surge of the afternoon, as Kenyon's defense tightened and refused to yield the rest of the way.
The third quarter belonged entirely to the Owls, and more specifically, to Kirsch. She opened the half with a goal at 13:15, then struck again at 11:54 off another Baxter assist. At 9:47, Kirsch converted a free-position opportunity, and less than four minutes later, she buried her fifth goal of the game at 5:13 off a crisp feed from
Anna Reif. In between Kirsch's scoring spree, Champeau added a man-up goal at 6:45, helping Kenyon rattle off five unanswered goals in the quarter and extend the lead to 15-6 heading into the final frame.
Kenyon continued to pile on in the fourth.
Mamie Kasten found her first collegiate goal at 11:58 off a Kirsch assist, before
Ashley Auerbach added another unassisted strike at 3:28. Champeau then delivered the final dagger with a goal at 1:41, sealing the 18-6 rout.
Kirsch headlined the smackdown with a career-high six goals and two assists, controlling the game offensively from start to finish. Skelly followed with a season-high four goals, while Baxter and Champeau each turned in with two goals and two assists apiece.
Mason, Auerbach, Rigoli, and Kasten each added a goal, as eight different Owls scored in a balanced offensive showcase. Kenyon fired 36 shots and controlled 15 draw controls, dictating tempo throughout the afternoon.
Defensively, the Owls were just as dominant, holding Wittenberg scoreless over the final two quarters. Goalkeeper
Meagan Lacombe anchored the effort with eight saves in the cage, while the defense limited the Tigers to just five shots on goal in the second half. Lacombe's season save percentage improves to .403.
With momentum surging at the right time, the Owls now turn their focus to postseason play as they gear up for the NCAC Tournament.
