South Hadley, Mass. - February 22, 2020 - Seven different student-athletes tallied at least one goal as the Mount Holyoke College lacrosse team cruised to a 18-5 victory over the Gordon College Fighting Scots in their season opener on Saturday afternoon at the MHC Turf and Track Complex.
With the win, the Lyons' begin the 2020 campaign in the victory column, jumping out to a 1-0 record. In the setback, the Fighting Scots fell to 0-1 on the season. The Lyons outshot Gordon College 33-16, held the edge in draws 13-10, and converted on six-of-nine free-position opportunities in the win.
In net for the Lyons, senior Mia Wysocki (Longmeadow, Mass.) made one stop en route to her first victory of the season, while Erin Foley (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) came on for the last 30 minutes and picked up a pair of saves to preserve the win.
The Lyons used a balanced offensive attack which included a 10-0 run spanning over 24 minutes that sealed the game for the hosts. Sophomore attacker Caroline Flynn (Williamstown, Mass.) found the back of the net five times and picked up three ground balls and two draw controls, while sophomore Abby Baldwin (Florence, Mass.) and classmate Allie Brown (Burlington, Vt.) each finished with five points on three goals and two assists. Senior captain Julianna Rankin (Annapolos, Md.) also recorded four points on three goals and one helper. Rankin also posted a team-high four draw controls and three ground balls in the win.
Just 1:26 into the contest, Baldwin took advantage of a free-position shot to put the Lyons on top 1-0. Tied at two apiece with 21:52 to play in the half, Emma Legacki (Pennington, N.J.) found the back of the net on a feed from Rankin which would start the 10-0 run for the Lyons' offense spanning into the second half.
Mount Holyoke College scored six unanswered goals in the remainder of the first frame, including four-straight free position goals to jump out to an 8-2 halftime lead. Rankin, Baldwin, Flynn, and Brown all contributed with additional scores during that span.
The Lyons' offense picked up right where they left off to start the second half, scoring four times over a 3:13 span. First-year Chloe Hupin (Ipswich, Mass.) scored on an unassisted attempt, followed by a pair of goals from Flynn and one more from Baldwin, putting the Lyons' up 12-2 with 26:47 to play. From there, Gordon College's Mollie Guthrie (Beaver Falls, Pa.) ended the Lyons' run at 19:49, when she scored on a free-position try, bringing the difference down to nine for the Fighting Scots.
Less than a minute later, junior captain Meryl Phair (Stockbridge, Mass.) answered on an assist from Baldwin to regain the 10-goal cushion for Mount Holyoke College. Rankin scored just 26 seconds later to push the lead to 14-3 at the 18:51 mark of the second half.
Followed by two Gordon goals coming from Guthrie and Abigail Mansfield (Starksboro, Vt.), Mount Holyoke would close off the half with another dominant stretch of offensive success, scoring four unanswered goals in the final 14:18 to seal the victory.
Mount Holyoke College is back in action this Wednesday, February 26 as they host Western New England University at 5 p.m at the MHC Turf and Track Complex.
