GWYNEDD VALLEY, PA. - The Ursinus College women's lacrosse team hit the road on Wednesday afternoon and brought home a 21-7 victory over Gwynedd Mercy.
Seven different Bears scored a goal in the contest, while junior goalkeeper Alexa Machado earned the win in net after collecting eight saves. First-year Grace Lynch scored seven goals in the win, which was the most for a Bear since 2012 when Alyssa Thren netted seven goals.
The Griffins jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after back-to-back goals from Kristin Varilla found the back of the net. The Bears quickly responded after winning the ensuing draw control, Julia McCann found Reilly Morgan in front of the net for her first goal of the contest at the 9:55 mark. Moments later, Ursinus missed a golden opportunity after a free position attempt from Lynch nailed the crossbar and fellow classmate Maeve Leonzi had her shot saved by Reilly Owens. Two minutes later, Leonzi connected on a shot in front of the net to tie the score at two a piece at the 6:45 mark.
Both teams traded goals on free position attempts after Varilla earned her third of the game and Lynch snuck her shot past the Griffins goalkeeper to tie the score at three apiece. Leonzi added her second of the contest with 1:19 remaining in the first period to make the score 4-3.
The Bears had an outstanding second period outscoring the Griffins 9-0 in the period for a 13-3 lead at halftime. Lynch, Gabrielle Liott, and McCann opened the period with back-to-back-to-back goals within the first five minutes for a 7-3 lead. After a Griffins turnover, Lynch picked up the groundball and scored at the 9:56 mark for third of the game. Leonzi scored the next one for Ursinus after a pass from Liott gave her an open look on a women-up opportunity. Andrea Hook scored her first of the game at the 6:39 mark, and after a women-up opportunity Lynch added another on a free position opportunity at the 6:17 mark. Liott and Julie Cherneskie each added goals with under two minutes in the half for a 13-3 lead at the break.
The Bears defense blanked the Griffins in the third period as well, outscoring Gwynedd Mercy 6-0 in the period. After a foul on Gwynedd Mercy, Liott found Morgan for her second goal of the game at the 12:39 mark. Hook and Morgan each added another goal over the next four minutes to make the score 16-3. Lynch followed up with back-to-back goals to push the lead to 15. Liott closed out the period, recording her first career hat trick with her third goal of the game at the 1:25 mark.
Leonzi and Lynch both added goals in the fourth period to wrap the offensive explosion for Ursinus as they collected their third consecutive victory and sixth win of the season.
The Bears will return to action on Saturday for Senior Day as they host Muhlenberg at 12pm from Patterson Field.