THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.- The Pacific University women's lacrosse team snapped a five-game losing streak with their 12-7 win over Cal Lutheran in Southern California.
It was a tight contest at William Rolland Stadium as there was little to separate the two teams statistically. Each team tallied 16 shots on goal while Pacific narrowly edged Cal Lutheran in the total shots column, out-shooting them 21-19 overall.
Hyland Cullen-Musengo (Sophomore/Portland, OR) notched six of the Boxers' 12 draw controls. The sophomore enjoyed an excellent performance with three goals, two assists, and two groundballs on the night.
Pacific racked up 20 successful clears out of 30 attempts but lost out 22-18 in groundballs to the hosts. As a team, the Boxers were 4-of-6 on free position attempts with Cullen-Musengo leading the way by converting both of her chances.
Vivian Mai (Senior/Portland, OR) scored her one free-position attempt in her two-goal night.
Katrina Boyd (Senior/San Jose, CA) put on a fantastic display, netting three goals, snatching two groundballs, and dishing out one assist.
Mackenzie Grover (Senior/Whitefish, MT) also had a multi-goal game, scoring her fourth and fifth goals of the year.
Diane Crets (Sophomore/Simi Valley, CA) spent the first 30 minutes between the posts for Pacific and performed well just outside of her hometown, making five saves while surrendering just two goals.
How It Happened
Cullen-Musengo opened the scoring just under the 12-minute mark in the first quarter when she skipped past a couple defenders and unleashed a shot into the back of the net, giving Pacific the early lead. Cal Lutheran would equalize shortly after, but Boyd would restore the Boxers' advantage following a successful clear attempt. Just before the end of the first period, Grover bounced in her fourth goal of the season to make the score 3-1 after 15 minutes played.
Just seconds into the second quarter, Pacific made it a three-goal lead when Grover netted her second goal of the contest. The Regals capitalized on a free-position shot to pull within two but Boyd replied by receiving a pass from Cullen-Musengo and ripping a shot into the back of the net to make it 5-2. One more goal from Cullengo-Musengo gave the Red and Black a 6-2 lead going into the break.
The hosts scored the first goal of the second half but Mai answered by drawing a foul and finishing off a free-position attempt. Pacific canceled out another CLU goal when Crets scored straight from the draw control for her first goal of the season. Mai broke through for another goal before Bille Merriam (Junior/Windsor, CO) netted the first goal of her career. After three quarters, Pacific held a 10-5 advantage.
Two quick goals from the Regals cut the deficit to three goals but Boyd ended the run by finishing off a great pass from Grover. A free-position shot from Cullen-Musengo extended the Pacific lead to five goals, putting the game out of reach.
Up Next
Pacific wraps up their spring break trip in California with a matchup against Whittier on Mar. 23 at 7 p.m.
For the latest information on Pacific Athletics, make sure to check out GoBoxers.com. You can also find the Boxers on social media at @GoBoxers on
Facebook,
Instagram and
Twitter.
#GoBoxers
