FREDERICK, Md. – A close first half was blown wide open in the third quarter, as the Hood College women's lacrosse team had no answer for Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth opponent Messiah University, with the Falcons handing the Blazers their first conference defeat in a 13-3 drubbing.
Inside the Box Score
Julia Gregory (Sussex, N.J./Vernon Twp.) led the team with two goals.
Olivia Pickett (Mount Airy, Md/Linganore High School) finished with a goal and two ground ball pickups.
How it Happened
The Falcons wasted little time before getting on the board, scoring less than a minute into the game and then once more just over a minute later.
Another pair of goals gave Messiah a 4-0 lead just over seven minutes into the game, but a timeout from the Blazer seemed to work, as Gregory put two of her own in the back of the net in a minute and half to cut Hood's deficit to just 4-2, which it would stay at the rest of the quarter.
The scoring from the first quarter did not transfer over to the second, as the only goal for both teams came from the Falcons almost exactly halfway through the quarter. Despite ending the half on the defensive side for the most part, the Blazers managed to keep it a 5-2 disadvantage heading into halftime.
Despite the teams playing an even game for the first half of the third quarter, Messiah poured on the offense in the latter part of the quarter, scoring seven goals in six minutes to activate the 10-goal running clock with a 12-2 lead heading into the final frame.
Both teams managed to score once in the fourth, with Pickett taking advantage of a free position shot with 8:44 left in the game, but that would be all either team could muster as time ran out on Hood with the final score reading 13-3 in favor of Messiah.
For the Opponent
Grace Pettitt ended the game with three goals and four assists for a total of seven points.
Natalie Macri had four goals and two ground balls on the day.
Analysis
Messiah outshot Hood 30-13.
The Falcons picked up 19 ground balls as opposed to just 11 for the Blazers.
Notes
Hood drops to 4-7 (1-1), while Messiah improves to 3-8 (1-0).
Up Next
The team continues conference play in Owings Mill, Maryland against Stevenson University Wednesday, April 10 at 7 p.m.
