NEWARK, Del. - - The Wilmington University women's lacrosse team stormed out of the gates in each half to carry it to a 14-10 nonconference victory over Queens (N.Y.) on Saturday afternoon at the WU Athletics Complex.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Wildcats (2-5) as they scored the first five goals of the game and struck twice to start the second half in leading them to the victory. Queens (0-3) scored three straight late in the second half to close the gap to as few as 12-9, but the Wildcats held off the Knights down the stretch.
The Wildcats scored a goal on their first five shots of the game, breaking the ice at the 27:11 mark on a shot from Lashay Ross. La'Dae Boykin and Gabby Spalt scored on free position shots before Ross added her second goal of the game with a man down to make it 4-0. Shawna Chopko capped off the hot start to the game with a free position shot of her own, making it five goals on five shots and a 5-0 lead with 16:56 to play in the half.
But the Knights got rolling halfway through the period, getting on the board with 11:44 before the break. Queens would end up clawing all the way back into the game, scoring the final four goals of the half to close the gap to 5-4 at the halftime break.
Out of the break, the Wildcats scored the first two goals once again, getting goals from Boykin and Spalt to distance themselves, 7-4, from the Knights.
The teams then traded goals before the Wildcats sprung a four-goal streak to extend the lead even more. Chopko and Ross started the stretch before Spalt scored back-to-back goals to put the Wildcats ahead, 12-6, with 11:17 to play.
The Knights tried to make a late game comeback, scoring three straight to close the gap to 12-9, but Ross shut the door on any comeback with her fourth goal of the game to end the skid. Card closed out the scoring with an unassisted goal with 1:48 showing on the clock to ensure the victory.
The Wildcats outscored the Knights, 9-6, in the second half, owning more of the possession time starting by earning more draws, 11-5, in the second stanza. The Wildcats won the draw battle, 15-11, for the game as well. They also out shot the Knights, 28-20, for the game, in large part due to a 19-9 advantage in the second half alone.
Maddie Hurm recorded seven saves in the win for the Wildcats while Basma Attieh made 10 stops for the Knights.
The Wildcats conclude their four-game home stand when they open Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference play on Tuesday. They will host Nyack at the WU Athletics Complex with a 4:00 p.m. opening draw.
