LAKEWOOD, N.J. - - The Wilmington University women's lacrosse team got off to a hot start against Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference leading Georgian Court, leading 4-1 and as late as deep into the second quarter, before the Lions turned on the jets and defeated the Wildcats, 25-12, on Wednesday afternoon at the GCU Turf Field.
The Wildcats (9-5, 4-3 CACC) led 4-1 with 7:57 to play in the first quarter and led 4-2 at the end of the frame. They scored back-to-back goals to lead 6-4 with 5:39 left in the second quarter before the Lions (8-7, 7-0 CACC) mounted a comeback.
The Lions scored four straight goals, tying the game with 3:19 to play in the half and taking the lead with 2:27 left in the second quarter. Campbell Heller scored with 1:14 to play to cut the deficit to 8-7 but the Lions scored the final goal of the half with 39 seconds left, taking a 9-7 lead into the break.
Taylor Lambeth scored with 12:29 to play in the third to get the Wildcats to within 10-8, but then the Lions scored six consecutive goals in a span of 4:31 to take a 16-8 lead with 7:46 showing on the clock.
Makenzie Stritzinger stopped the run with a goal with 5:20 to play, but the Lions answered with back-to-back goals once again to take an 18-9 lead. Ella Baynes then scored back-to-back goals to end the quarter, closing the gap to 18-11 going into the final frame.
But the Wildcats couldn't get any closer as the fourth quarter started, as the Lions scored the first seven goals of the quarter, opening a 25-11 lead. Campbell Heller scored with six seconds left to settle the score, 25-12.
Ella Baynes scored four goals and added an assist while Campbell Heller scored three goals. Makenzie Stritzinger scored two goals and added five draws while Taylor Culver scooped up seven draws. Tori Grubowski made 17 saves in goal and added six ground balls in the loss.
The Wildcats have two games left in the regular season, as they look to improve their status in the standings for the postseason. They will head to Holy Family next Tuesday to play under the lights. The opening draw is set for 7:00 p.m. in Philadelphia.