OSKALOOSA, Iowa- The Ave Maria University women's lacrosse team earned their first victory of the Shelby Sanderson era on Monday evening, marching into the Hawkeye State of Iowa and emerging with a 16-9 victory over the host Statesmen of William Penn University. The Gyrenes never trailed in their first out-of-state game of the season, and used five consecutive goals in the second half to put away the hosts, who were led by head coach and AMU's all-time leading scorer, Katelyn Sherman.
It took less than 90 seconds for the Gyrenes to grab a 2-0 lead on Monday, as Orianna Eldridge scored 20 seconds in and Abigail Seiler followed 65 seconds later, with both goals assisted by Hannah Shaffrey. The Statesmen responded with two goals of their own, and the teams traded goals for the remainder of the period, with a tally from Shaffrey with nine seconds left in the quarter giving AMU a 5-4 lead after one.
Building on that momentum, the Gyrenes scored the first three goals of the second quarter, opening up an 8-4 lead behind goals from Mary Thorpe, Emma Baughman, and Emma Davis. The second quarter wasn't quite as eventful as the first, with just six goals scored compared to nine in the first. William Penn scored two of the final three goals in the quarter, but the Gyrenes still held a 9-6 halftime lead.
The Gyrenes essentially put the game away in the third quarter, shutting out William Penn and adding four goals of their own. Ave Maria's freshmen were the focal point of the frame, with two goals from Shaffrey and two from Claire Ichniowski. Baughman assisted on the second goal from Ichniowski, while Davis' assist on Shaffrey's second goal of the quarter and fifth of the match made it 13-6 Ave Maria.
Ichniowski also scored the first goal of the fourth quarter, capping her hat trick with AMU's fifth consecutive goal. Seiler also added her second goal of the day in the final three minutes of the match, and Shaffrey concluded the best game of her young career with a goal in the closing moments of the match.
Shaffrey logged a double hat trick for Ave Maria, and racked up eight points with six goals and two assists. Ichniowski added an assist to go with her hat trick, while Davis logged three points with two goals and an assist. Defensively, Peyton Williams had two ground balls and a caused turnover, while Kaylee Wesolowski made seven saves to earn the win between the pipes.
Ave Maria's spring break trip to the midwest continues on Wednesday, when the Gyrenes head to Canton, Missouri for a meeting with Culver-Stockton College. Opening draw of the matchup in the Show-Me State is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. local time.
