The NMU Women’s Lacrosse team dropped a pair of conference matches over the weekend, falling 27-3 to the University of Indianapolis Greyhounds on Friday before being handed a 23-9 loss by the McKendree University Bearcats on Sunday.
“Our goal is to improve everyday and every game,” head coach Emilia Ward said. “We’re going to show everybody that our work ethic is going to be there day-in and day-out. We’ve got a lot of freshman and leaders on this team.”
Friday’s game in Indianapolis saw the Wildcats surrender nine straight goals before notching one of their own, scored nearly halfway through the first half by freshman attack/midfielder Tess Kostelec. The Greyhounds added two more goals before NMU freshman midfielder Bianca Kinder doubled the Wildcats’ goal total, making the score 11- 2. Indianapolis added five more goals before the halftime interval.
Indianapolis controlled the pace of play for the second half, scoring 10 goals before conceding a Wildcat goal, courtesy of freshman attack/midfielder Emily Dvorak’s free position shot, her 27th goal of the season. The Greyhounds added one more goal for good measure, with the final score ending in an Indianapolis beatdown of NMU, 27-3.
The Wildcats got off to a much better start against McKendree on Sunday, taking an early 2-0 lead thanks to goals from sophomore midfielder Graison Ringlever and Dvorak. The Bearcats quickly tied the game, but Kinder regained the lead for NMU less than two minutes later.
The Wildcats’ offensive power would not last, however, as McKendree scored seven straight goals, jumping out to a 9-3 lead, and taking the reins for the rest of the match. Ringlever scored Northern’s fourth goal from a free position shot, bringing the score to 9-4. The Bearcats went on another long offensive tear, this time scoring eight unanswered goals, as NMU was unable to slow down McKendree’s speedy offense. Kinder added one more Wildcat tally before halftime, but another large halftime deficit loomed for NMU who trailed 17-5.
Northern again scored first after the resumption of play, with Dvorak putting the ball in the net from a free position shot just over a minute into the second half. McKendree added four more goals before the Wildcats scored again, this time on a shot from freshman attack/midfielder Ellie Bahr. Ringlever completed her hat-trick on a free position shot with just over seven minutes to play, bringing the score to 21-8. McKendree scored twice more during the remainder of the game, and Ringlever rounded out the game’s scoring with just under two minutes remaining. In the end, the McKendree Bearcats topped NMU 23-9.
“We’re still trying to make a mark for ourselves,” said Ward. “Whether it’s winning a ton of games or playing hard, we just need to build an identity.”
As a result of the weekend, the Wildcats’ overall record falls to 1-9, with their 0-7 conference mark in the GLIAC placing them squarely in last place. NMU will next take the field on Friday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m., when they host the Davenport Panthers, the team directly above them in the GLIAC standings.
