Cougars Strike Early And Often In 22-10 Win Over Women's LAX

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's lacrosse team fell to the Cougars of Clark University (CU), 22-10, in a non-conference, season-opening match on the USJ Lacrosse Field on a wet and rainy Tuesday afternoon.

Junior midfielder Elizabeth Liakos (Arlington, Mass.) and junior attack Elysia Hall (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) did most of the damage for the Cougars, scoring 14 of the team's 22 goals, and dishing out three of the team's six assists. The Blue Jays were led by junior attack Mackenzie Dinger (Hingham, Mass.), who attempted to match the pace with six goals herself.

The Blue Jays were in a back-and-forth battle in the early going, trailing by just one, 6-5, after one. Dinger scored half her goals in the first to keep the hosts in striking distance despite plenty of rain falling down in West Hartford. The second period was all Cougars though, who exploded for a 10-4, second-period edge to taking a commanding lead into halftime, 16-9. It was enough to hold off any second-half charges from USJ, which scored only one goal in the second half.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Clark 22, Saint Joseph 10
Records: Clark (1-0), USJ (0-1)
Location: USJ Lacrosse Field | West Hartford, Conn.

NUMBER TO KNOW

10 – Clark scored 10 goals in the second period to create the separation the team needed to defeat the Blue Jays by game's end. 

GOALIE BREAKDOWN

CU – Senior goalkeeper Grace Sawyer (Windham, Maine) was active in goal Tuesday afternoon and kept attackers honest. She made a pair of saves and allowed nine goals in 30 minutes of action (1-0). Junior goalie Maddie Conners (Devon, Pa.) allowed just one goal in 30 minutes of playing time.

USJ – Senior captain Nina Lestrud (Torrington, Conn.) was dealt the loss (0-1) making eight saves on 30 shots in just over 53 minutes. Freshman Abigail Delgado (Southington, Conn.) also saw action for USJ.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays return to the field on Saturday, February 26 in a home match against Castleton. The opening draw control is slated for 2:00 p.m. on the USJ Lacrosse Field. Head over to usjbluejays.com to catch all the action!

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