MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — UW-Stevens Point women's lacrosse team (8-7, 2-5) overpowered Augsburg (0-12, 0-8) with a decisive 21–5 victory on Saturday afternoon. UWSP capitalized on 36 turnovers and picked up a season-high 37 ground balls to secure the commanding win.
The Pointers opened the game with a strong performance, gaining early momentum through
Marissa Van Dyke's (Green Bay, Wis./Green Bay Southwest) draw control and first goal at 12:04.
Abbey Boersma (Minooka, Ill./Minooka) doubled the advantage with a goal at 11:02, following a ground ball pickup. The Pointers continued to press forward, with
Katie Wigen (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids) extending the lead to 3-0 at 9:48, assisted by Van Dyke. The offensive push did not relent as
Rowan Dunn (Janesville, Wis./Joseph A. Craig) and
Elysia Pitts (Green Bay, Wis./Bay Port) each found the net, making it 5-0. A final goal from Van Dyke at 00:59, assisted by
Ali Senart (Muskego, Wis./Muskego), capped the first quarter with a commanding 6-0 lead for UWSP.
Aubrey Keeping (Moorhead, Minn./Moorhead) opened the scoring, assisted by
Amelia Kiedinger (Green Bay, Wis./De Pere) at 13:46. Van Dyke and
Addison Novack (Cedarburg, Wis./Cedarburg) each added to the tally, with Novack's goal at 12:13 assisted by Keeping. The Pointers continued to control the draw, with Van Dyke and Pitts both scoring again, supported by assists from Wigen and Novack.
Stella Welhouse (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) further increased the lead with a goal assisted by Van Dyke at 7:13. Dunn's goal at 4:09 capped a strong offensive display, though Augsburg managed a late goal at 3:02.
Augsburg opened the third quarter with a goal at 14:48. Keeping responded by scoring on a player-down opportunity at 11:38, assisted by Van Dyke. The Auggies notched their third goal at 9:21. Later, with a player-up advantage, Keeping found the net again at 4:46 off a free position shot. The Pointers maintained momentum as Keeping completed her scoring sequence with another goal at 2:20.
The Pointers capitalized early in the fourth quarter when Van Dyke scored following a turnover she caused. Senart added to the lead with a goal at 11:43, extending their advantage. Despite an Augsburg goal, the Pointers maintained control; Dunn scored on a player-down opportunity at 5:37 with an assist from
Josie Voigt (Neenah, Wis./Neenah).
Kaylynn Gracyalny (Pulaski, Wis./Pulaski) found the net at 1:58, and UWSP sealed the period with a player-up goal by
Zoe Schuhmacher (Neenah, Wis./Neenah), assisted by
Claire Heller (Naperville, Ill./Central), with just two seconds remaining.
Keeping led the Pointers with four goals and an assist, converting six shots on goal. Van Dyke delivered a remarkable performance by scoring five goals, adding three assists, and collecting eight ground balls. Dunn contributed three goals on five shots, with two of her goals being unassisted. Pitts added two goals on three shots, maintaining a perfect shooting accuracy for the game.
Lily Blanchard (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) was in goal, facing 14 shots while saving four, in 60 minutes of play.
The Pointers are back home tomorrow (Apr. 26) to host the College of Saint Benedict for Senior Day. Opening draw is set for 3:00 p.m.
