SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- The Mount Holyoke College lacrosse team held visiting Wheaton College in check for the majority of its NEWMAC game Saturday on the MHC Turf, but a 9-1 run by the visiting Lyons over a 15-minute stretch in the middle of the game led to a 21-11 victory for Wheaton over the host Lyons.
Wheaton (6-4, 3-0 NEWMAC) remained unbeaten in conference play after pulling away from a 5-5 tie in the second quarter, then using a run of six straight goals in the fourth quarter to turn a five-goal lead (15-10) early in the fourth quarter into a game-high 11-goal lead at 21-10. A strong all-around game by Mount Holyoke made the annual clash of Lyons notably more competitive than last season's, a 20-2 loss at Wheaton.
Sophomore Langley Berat (New York, N.Y.) and Emi Bisson (Chester, Conn.) scored three goals apiece for Mount Holyoke (1-9, 0-3 NEWMAC), marking a career-high for Berat. Emi Bisson added two assists and gathered seven draw controls. Junior captain Ella Phillips (Sandwich, Mass.) posted two goals and an assist.
Lara Finnie, Natalie Bilodeau, Georgia Qua, and Kilee Sherry scored three goals apiece for Wheaton, with Avonlea LeBeau (game-high 11 draw controls) and Logan Truluck adding two goals apiece. Sophie Gromala scored a goal and added three assists for Wheaton.
Truluck scored the first two goals of the game unassisted to stake Wheaton to a 2-0 lead that continued into the seventh minute. Mount Holyoke got on the scoreboard with Emi Bisson feeding Phillips for the goal with 8:40 to go in the quarter, but Wheaton scored the next two, one apiece by Serry and Finnie, to assume a 4-1 lead.
Emi Bisson then got a 4-0 Mount Holyoke run started with back-to-back unassisted goals at 3:36 and 2:01, closing the gap to 4-3.
Senior captain Hannah Bisson (South Hadley, Mass.) then scored unassisted from a restart behind Wheaton's goal with 12 seconds to go in the quarter, her 10th score of the season, tying the game at 4-4 going into the second quarter. Phillips capped the run with her second goal of the game and fifth of the season, giving the host Lyons their first lead at 5-4 with 12:28 left in the first half.
Wheaton responded quickly, tying the game back up at 5-5 as LeBeau, Wheaton's leading scorer, tallied her first goal off of the ensuing draw. LeBeau then caused a Mount Holyoke turnover, leading to Wheaton's go-ahead goal scored by Natalie Bilodeau with 7:28 left in the second quarter. Gromala's score, followed by her assist to Sherry at the 4:06 mark, opened an 8-5 lead for Wheaton.
Wheaton continued its momentum after intermission, scoring four times over a two-minute span to assume a commanding 13-6 lead with 11:09 left in the third quarter, propelled by two goals and an assist from Finnie.
But Mount Holyoke held firm, outscoring Wheaton 4-2 over the ensuing 15 minutes of game time, including a pair of scores by Berat and one goal apiece by junior captain Madison Millyan (Winchester, Mass.) and sophomore Elle Mader (Cincinnati, Ohio), which brought the host team within striking distance at 15-10 with 12:54 left in regulation.
Qua scored two more goals for Wheaton as the visitors pulled away with their game-deciding run down the stretch. Berat scored her third goal with 1:36 to go, marking the final score at 21-11.
Mount Holyoke first-year goalie Syd Baker (Needham, Mass.) made eight saves for the hosts, and sophomore Alex Twomey (Nutley, N.J.) tallied career-highs of four caused turnovers, four ground balls, and three draw controls.
Jenna Langan led three Wheaton goalies with eight saves, tallied in her stint spanning the second and third quarters. Katie Geis made two saves in the first quarter and Makenna Gilman made one save in the fourth quarter.
Mount Holyoke will next play at MIT on Saturday, April 6 at 4pm. Wheaton plays at Wellesley Wednesday at 7pm.
