Even the strongest of winds couldn’t blow the Skyhawks off course Saturday.
The Fort Lewis College women’s lacrosse team jumped out to an early 11-1 lead en route to a convincing 19-7 victory over Adams State on a blustery Saturday at Ray Dennison Memorial Field.
It marked one of the most complete performances of the season for the Skyhawks (6-7, 5-6 Western Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association), who were thoroughly effective from front to back. FLC outshot the Grizzlies 36-23, were a perfect 13-for-13 on clear attempts, won the groundball battle 22-13 and had 11 different people score goals.
“We’ve been having a tough time kind of just pulling things together,” FLC’s Jessica Norby said. “One minute the defense will play good; one minute the offense will play good. (Saturday) was a very combined effort. We really need that if we’re going to win our next two games.”
Norby, Marissa DiCecco and Kylie Smith each scored three times for FLC. Ally Kvidera had a pair of goals to go with two assists, and Ellie Carpenter also scored twice. Brook Wineland and Jam Vertner had a goal and an assist apiece, and Abby Kvidera, Kathryn Dunn, Amanda Hoffmeyer and Sara McMahon also found the back of the net as FLC balanced fast-break scoring with patience, depending on the situation.
“If we have the fast break, push it. If we don’t, settle it down, and wait for the best option, not necessarily the first option,” FLC head coach Kelsey MacDonald said. “So it was good to see them excel at that (Saturday).”
The defensive effort was key, contributing to 20 turnovers for Adams State (3-8, 2-6 WILA).
Only three of the Grizzlies’ goals came during the run of play, while the other four came on free-position shots after FLC fouls. And even then, Adams State failed to score on five free-position attempts, while the Skyhawks scored on six of their 11 chances.
A big reason for Adams State’s woes offensively was FLC goalie Alyssa Spencer. The Durango High School alumna stopped 11 shots, including several point-blank opportunities on free-position chances for the Grizzlies.
“I thought Alyssa had a great game. She had 11 saves, so that’s great, over 50 percent. She made some big stops on the free positions. ... I was really proud of her and, like I said, our defensive unit as a whole,” MacDonald said.
And every time Adams State made a bid to scratch back into the contest by stringing together a few goals, the Skyhawks regrouped and had the answer.
The most noticeable of these instances came about midway through the second half. The Grizzlies started to find a rhythm offensively after FLC tried a different defensive alignment after intermission, and they cut the FLC lead to 13-6.
FLC switched back to its original defense and didn’t allow a goal until 1 minute, 43 seconds remained on the clock. In the meantime, the Skyhawks scored four unanswered goals.
“That’s very important. Momentum is a really big thing to stop,” Norby said. “In the past couple games, that’s always happened. We get going, and then momentum shifts. It’s really good to be able to stop that.”
Lexy Hamilton scored three times, and Quiana Barfield, Amanda Hisel, Heather Jones and Grace Komatz scored once each for Adams State.
rowens@durangoherald.com
