NEWARK, Del. - - A strong first half carried the Wilmington University women's lacrosse team to its fifth straight victory, a 19-9 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference win over Georgian Court on Wednesday afternoon at the WU Athletics Complex.
It is just the third victory for the Wildcats (10-4, 5-1 CACC) over Georgian Court (4-10, 3-3 CACC) all-time. They won their very first matchup in 2007 and broke a 22-game losing streak to the Lions with a win in 2023 at the Complex.
The second half was played to just a 7-5 advantage for the Wildcats, but it was a strong first half that allowed them to take the victory. They outscored the Lions, 5-1, in the first quarter and 7-3 in the second quarter to take a 12-4 halftime lead.
Ella Royer took the opening draw and stormed down field, immediately scoring to set the tone and give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead just nine seconds into the contest. Eden Ward won the ensuing draw and Alea Javorowsky scored off a feed from Michaella Cook and the Wildcats held a 2-0 lead just 25 seconds in. Mia Schultz, Tristan Holdsworth, and Anastasia Giannoulis scored the final three goals of the quarter, giving the Wildcats a 5-1 lead.
Eden Ward scored the first goal of the second to make it four in a row and a 6-1 lead. The Lions scored back-to-back goals but the Wildcats answered right back with goals from Ella Royer and Alea Javorowsky to regain an 8-3 lead. Georgian Court scored to make it 8-4 with 9:14 left in the second, but the Wildcats scored the final four goals of the quarter, getting two goals from Royer and marks by Schultz and Javorowsky, taking a 12-4 lead into the break.
Anastasia Giannoulis and Eden Ward scored back-to-back goals to take a 14-5 lead before the Lions tried to make a comeback. They scored back-to-back goals to climb to within 14-7 before Ella Royer answered with the final goal of the third to take a 15-7 lead into the fourth.
Ward and Royer opened the fourth with goals to give the Wildcats a 10-goal lead, 17-7. Ella Royer capped the afternoon to the final two goals of the game, making it eight total for the junior.
Ella Royer reached the 100-point milestone for the season in the game, making it back-to-back seasons with 100 or more points. She led the team with eight goals, two assists, six draws, three ground balls, and two caused turnovers in the win.
Alea Javorowsky finished with three goals and six assists while Tristan Holdsworth scored a goal and dished out three assists. Eden Ward finished with three goals, one assist, nine draws, and two ground balls. Mia Schultz and Anastasia Giannoulls scored two goals with Giannoulis adding an assist. Ashleigh Lawry and Allison Schiavone each made five saves in the win.
The Wildcats look to extend their winning streak to six when they travel to Post on Saturday. The game in Waterbury, Connecticut, starts at 3:30 p.m.