Springfield, Ohio – The Wittenberg women's lacrosse team celebrated the careers of three seniors on Saturday afternoon before taking on NCAC rival Kenyon College from Edwards-Maurer Field. The Tigers found themselves in an uphill battle against the top team in the conference, as the visiting Ladies from Kenyon jumped out to an early 7-0 lead before going on to take the final, 21-17. Wittenberg found a surge of offense in the second half, outscoring the ladies 10-6, but the late rally proved to be not enough to overcome the Kenyon lead. Josee Clayton continued to lead the Tiger offense, scoring six goals for the Red and White on 10 shots on goal, adding three ground ball pick-ups.

Game Breakdown

The Tigers would have to fight back into the game, as Kenyon took an early seven-goal advantage after 12 minutes of play. However, Gabby Zysik quickly rallied after the Ladies seventh goal to score the unassisted goal for the Red and White. Later, coming off an assist from Zysik, Clayton notched the second Wittenberg goal of the half. Emily Wadds helped the Wittenberg offense cut into the Kenyon lead with her first goal of the game, bringing the score to 9-3. Clayton scored three more times before the end of the half to rack up a hat trick. Rachel Bernard also added a goal off of a free position attempt to give the Tigers their seventh goal. At the end of the half, the Ladies led the Tigers by a score of 15-7. The Tiger offense heated up in the second half, as Katurah Emery and Gretchen Burkey each tallied unassisted goals to cut the Kenyon lead in half, bringing the score to 18-9. Wittenberg found their rhythm with just under 18 minutes remaining in the game, recording six straight goals, bringing Wittenberg to within four goals of the Kenyon advantage. As the Tigers built up their scoring momentum, Wittenberg saw goals come from Wadds, Burkey, and Clayton, while Madeline Stock added two assists. With the clock winding down and the Ladies maintaining a five-goal advantage in the final five minutes Clayton and Zysik would each find the back of the net one final time for the Red and White.

Who Stood Out

Antavia Horne caused two turnovers and picked up a team-high four groundballs for Wittenberg on the afternoon. Burkey, Wadds, and Zysik would each finish the day with three goals. Zysik would also tally two assists on the afternoon.

UP NEXT

Wittenberg will travel to Denison University on Tuesday, April 16 to take on the Big Red at 4:30 PM in an NCAC showdown.