GRANVILLE, Ohio – The sixth-ranked Washington and Lee women's lacrosse team dropped a competitive 15-11 non-conference decision at No. 9 Denison on Tuesday evening.
The Big Red (14-1) used a decisive 5-0 run bridging halftime to erase Washington and Lee's 8-5 lead, part of a 10-3 second-half surge that fueled the comeback victory.
Game Summary
Washington and Lee (13-3) controlled the opening half, building an early lead behind a fast start. Lara Baki, Hannah Van Son and Kelly Polacek each scored in the first 10 minutes as the Generals jumped out to a 3-0 advantage. Denison answered with three of the next four goals, but Sophie Edwards and Polacek helped W&L maintain a 4-3 lead at the end of the first stanza.
The Generals extended their lead in the second as Edwards and Polacek connected twice and Emma Marsh added a player-up goal to push the margin to 7-3. Edwards completed her first-half hat trick late to make it 8-4, before Denison struck in the final seconds to cut the deficit to 8-5 at the break.
That late goal sparked a the first 5-0 Denison run into the third quarter. Goals from Mary Martinson and Sophie Davenport ignited the surge, and Bridget Sheehy scored back-to-back to tie the game and give the Big Red their first lead at 9-8.
W&L briefly answered with goals from Baki and Polacek to regain a 10-9 edge, but Denison responded again with late tallies from Addie Clift and Josie Pruss to take an 11-10 lead into the fourth and kicked off the second 5-0 run.
The Big Red carried the momentum into the final period, scoring the first three goals — including a free-position finish by Martinson and a player-up goal from Sheehy — to extend the lead to 14-10. Betty Boatwright trimmed the deficit late, but Denison responded with the night's final goal in the closing seconds to seal the 15-11 win.
Individual W&L Performances
- Sophie Edwards and Kelly Polacek led the Generals with three goals each, with Polacek adding three assists to lead all players with six points.
- First-year Taylor Bainbridge recorded a team-high four ground balls.
- Carleigh Taylor controlled possession with four draw controls, while adding two ground balls and one caused turnover.
- Emma Marsh totaled two points (one goal, one assist) and contributed four draw controls, one ground ball and two caused turnovers.
- Iman Haddad recorded 10 stops in the loss.
By The Numbers
- Denison held a 33-24 edge in shots, and a 21-13 advantage in shots on goal.
- W&L recorded 16 ground balls to Denison's 12.
- The Big Red out-performed W&L on the circle with a 16-10 draw control advantage.
- Denison's balanced attack featured multiple multi-goal scorers, led by Emersen Thompson (3G, 1A), Bridget Sheehy (3G, 1A), Madison Goldstein (2G), and Mary Martinson (2G).
- The Big Red goalkeepers combined for five saves against 11 goals.
Up Next: Washington and Lee closes out the regular season in a neutral site contest against No. 7 William Smith on Saturday, April 25 at noon in Sparks, Md., at the USA Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Headquarters (Tierney Field).
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
