BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - - Nine different goal scorers and 10 players tallying at least one point allowed the Wilmington University women's lacrosse game run away with a 12-3 decision over Bridgeport on the road in the final nonconference tune-up of the 2012 season.
The Wildcats (3-1) ran out to an 8-1 halftime lead before cruising to the final outcome. The loss was the first for Bridgeport (2-1) on the year as Emily Catalano scored all three goals for the Knights.
Bridgeport opened the scoring with the first goal 4:51 into the contest, but it was all Wilmington for the rest of the half.
Ashley Kroll tied the game at 1-1 with her lone goal of the game with 21:51 remaining in the half and Brittany Rhodes scored the eventual game-winner not even 30 seconds later. Rhodes goal came on a free position shot as the Wildcats were 4-for-5 on eight-meter shots.
Kory Webster kept the scoring going as she tallied the first of her three marks with an unassisted goal to make it 3-1 with 20:36 left to play in the first half. Jaclyn Hall and Rebecca Guethler scored the fourth and fifth goals of the game for the Wildcats, both coming on passes by Liz Case. Molly Taylor, Meggan Apgar and Rebekah McCurry closed out the first half scoring for Wilmington, as McCurry made it 8-1 with 3:10 to showing on the clock.
Webster scored her second goal of the game to open the goal scoring in the second half 2:24 after the break on another free position opportunity.
Catalano broke the consecutive goal streak by the Wildcats with her second mark of the game with 26:10 remaining in regulation.
The two teams would go on a goal scoring lull after Catalano closed the gap to 9-2, as neither team could find the back of the net for the next 13:57 of game clock. Guethler finally broke through his her second goal of the match, tallying the final free position shot of the contest, to make it 10-2 with 12:13 to play.
Catalano responded with another goal, giving her a hat trick as she took a pass from Katie King and beat Wildcat goalkeeper Corinne Dries who entered the game at the halftime break. But that is all the closer the Knights would get in the game, as Megan Keffer and Webster responded with two more goals for the visitors.
Webster's final goal gave the senior her first hat trick of the season, as she capped the scoring at the 4:10 mark of the second half on a feed from Case. Case finished with a game high three assists.
Goalkeepers Kaitlyn Hall and Dries each played 30 minutes as Dries recorded seven stops in the second half. Hall recorded four saves, picking up the win to go to 3-1 on the season. Both net-minders turned away the Knights on five free position opportunities, shutting out Bridgeport on the afternoon.
The Wildcats have little time to recover, as they begin Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference action on Saturday with a road trip to Post. The game is slated for a 12 noon start.
Wilmington will look to improve upon its 3-9 conference record from a year ago and start against a team they defeated twice last year, 16-7 at Post and a 19-4 victory in New Castle.