ERIE, Pa. – IUP women's lacrosse got back into the win column with several strong stretches of play, nabbing a 16-9 victory at Gannon on Wednesday afternoon.
IUP (2-3, 1-0) racked up 16 goals on 33 shots, using several scoring surges to gain the advantage and eventually provide enough insurance for the win.
Sarah Reustle led the balanced scoring attack for the Crimson Hawks with four goals, two assists, five draw controls, three ground balls and four caused turnovers.
Ruestle was one of four Hawks with multiple goals as
Kathryn Burke and
Chantal Jimenez notched four tallies each.
Brenna Whiteside fired in three goals with two assists and three ground balls in the conference opener.
Gannon (0-5, 0-1) got within four goals multiple times in the second half, but could not sustain enough offense against IUP goalie
Maddy Schramm. Alli Jacobs registered three goals and three caused turnovers for the Knights.
After surrendering the opening goal of the contest, IUP rattled off eight consecutive markers for an 8-1 lead into the second quarter. Gannon eventually cut into the IUP lead during the third period, slowly chipping away. Ultimately, the Hawks held onto a multi-goal advantage over the final 15 minutes.
IUP was 10-of-11 on clearing attempts and won 19 draw controls, hemming Gannon into its defensive zone over the first half outburst.
The Hawks used patience from the eight-meter arc on several occasions in the first quarter, working the ball around and using a variety of scorers for a 5-1 lead. IUP assisted on four of five goals over the opening 15 minutes, with Whiteside figuring in on three of the tallies with two goals and an assist.
Leading 5-1, the Crimson Hawks kept their foot on the gas and built the lead to 8-1 over a period of about eight minutes. Whiteside converted again for her third marker of the game, while Jimenez and Reustle each found the back of the net off a free-position attempt.
The Golden Knights carried some of the momentum into intermission, closing out the opening half with two goals, slicing the deficit to 8-3. GU held a slight 5-4 edge in the third quarter as IUP remained in front.
IUP tossed in four of the game's final five goals for the impressive conference victory. Burke notched three goals over the final five minutes of the fourth quarter before Reustle ended the game with a marker from Whiteside just before time expired.
Up Next
IUP is back for an impromptu home matchup against Edinboro on Friday, March 17 at 3:00 p.m. from Miller Stadium.
Follow
For coverage of the IUP women's lacrosse program, follow the Crimson Hawks on Twitter and Instagram @IUPlacrosse and online at IUPAthletics.com.
