Twenty-three was good Sunday. Twenty-four was even better Tuesday.
Two days after the Fort Lewis College women’s lacrosse team throttled Johnson & Wales University 23-2 at Shea Stadium in Highlands Ranch, the Skyhawks got after Cornell College in a 24-2 victory Tuesday at the Aurora Sports Park in Denver.
The 24 goals tied a program record for most in a single game to match the mark set in 2011 in a win against Adams State by the same score.
The NCAA Division II Skyhawks (2-0) were happy to pick up wins against the two D-III programs to start the season.
“It’s a great feeling to leave Denver with two wins in our first two games of the season and having a dominant performance overall,” FLC first-year head coach Ashley Travis said in a news release. “We got to see multiple players score again and see what we can do when we put it all together.”
Hallie Marker, a freshman from Highlands Ranch, continued her blistering scoring pace to open the season, as she scored six goals on six shots to give her a team-high 10 goals already this season. She also had two assists.
FLC had a 8-0 lead before Cornell (2-2) got on the board Tuesday. It was 20-1 before Cornell added its second goal of the game with 9 minutes, 5 seconds to play in the second half. Both Cornell goals were scored by Emily Beehler.
Delaney Benson added three goals for the Skyhawks. Abby Escandon, Maren Clark, Abby Bartles, Brooklyn Merchant and Makena Carter each had two goals. Escandon had a game-high five assists, and Carter led all players with six draw controls.
Also to score for FLC was Abigail Merchant, Mia White, Liv Crawford, Autumn Rymerson and Sarah Heathershaw.
Jojo Lutz had a team-high three groundballs, while Marker, Benson, Escandon and Abigail Merchant each had two.
FLC was able to play both goalies. Daris Wienk played the first half to earn the win. She allowed one goal and did not make a save. Averi Basso made three saves and allowed one goal. Maddie Althoff of Cornell made four saves in the full 60 minutes.
FLC will take a trip next week to Kansas City to face Benedictine College and Rockhurst University.
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opener will be at home at 1 p.m. March 21 against Adams State.
“The competition level will raise next week, but we’ve been able to see what we can do and were able to get those first-game jitters out,” Travis said. “Draw controls and ground balls will be crucial in those games next week. We’ll need to move the ball quick. And on defense, we really need to communicate because we’ll be looking to push fast breaks and set the pace.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
