GRANVILLE, Ohio – The fourth-ranked Washington and Lee women's lacrosse team built a 10-3 halftime lead en route to posting a 10-5 victory over Denison on Saturday afternoon at Deeds-Piper Stadium.
 
The Generals (13-2) struck first when junior attacker Allie Schwab (Bryn Mawr, Pa. / Harriton) found the back of the net just 2:22 into the game off a feed from senior attacker Janie Stillwell (Alexandria, Va. / Episcopal).  However, Denison (9-5) retaliated just 48 seconds later with a goal by sophomore attacker Josie Lucchesi off an assist from sophomore midfielder Ashley Viglione.
 
W&L wasted little time regaining the lead, taking a 2-1 advantage just 16 seconds after Lucchesi's goal evened things up.  Sophomore attacker Hanna Bishop (Bronxville, N.Y. / Bronxville) scored the goal unassisted at the 11:34 mark to jump-start a four-goal run that ended the first quarter with W&L holding a 5-1 lead.
 
Shortly after Bishop's score, Schwab added her second goal of the game at the 10:12 mark, while sophomore midfielder Shannon Timoney (Mendham, N.J. / West Morris Mendham) scored off an assist by senior attacker Maggie Frankel (Oyster Bay, N.Y. / Oyster Bay) with 5:31 left in the first period for a 4-1 lead.  Senior midfielder McKenna Edmondson (Westfield, N.J. / Westfield) capped the first-quarter scoring with a goal off a free-position shot at the 2:56 mark.
 
Lucchesi's second goal of the game at the 14:09 mark of the second quarter closed the Big Red to within 5-2, but another four-goal spurt gave W&L a 9-2 lead late in the first half.  Four different players scored the goals, with Bishop tallying a second goal midway through the run.
 
Denison stopped the W&L rally with Lucchesi's third goal of the opening half with 1:51 remaining.  However, the Generals seized the momentum heading into the halftime break with an unassisted tally by junior midfielder Jenny Lisovicz (Glen Ridge, N.J. / Glen Ridge) with just one second remaining, making the score 10-3 at the break.
 
Both teams tightened on the defensive end in the third quarter of play, as neither squad could manage a goal during the period.  In fact, the next goal wasn't scored until 2:58 remained in the game, when senior midfielder Casey McTague scored off an assist by junior midfielder Emma Repke.  Another Denison goal followed just 38 seconds later when Lucchesi scored off a free-position opportunity.  But, the five-goal margin would be as close as the Big Red would get the rest of the way.
 
W&L held a 27-20 advantage in shots, while Denison won the ground ball battle, 16-15.  W&L claimed 10 draw controls, with Denison posting eight.
 
Bishop and Schwab led the W&L offense with two goals each.  Sophomore midfielder Walker McKnight (Nashville, Tenn. / Harpeth Hall) seized a team-best four draw controls, with Lisovicz and Bishop totaling two caused turnovers each.  Sophomore Caroline Kranich (State College, Pa. / Mercersburg Academy) played the duration of the game in goal, producing nine saves.
 
Lucchesi led Denison with four goals.  Junior Caroline O'Dea played 45 minutes in goal and notched four saves.  Senior Maeve Caldwell saw action for 15 minutes and stopped one shot.
 
Washington and Lee will play again on Thursday when it travels to Bridgewater for a 7:00 pm contest.