ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Missouri Western Lacrosse beat McKendree 14-4 on Sunday, marking a final home game for six seniors that guarantees the Griffons will finish at least .500 in the regular season for the first time in program history.
The Griffons were led by
Sam Pruitt's five-goal effort, who scored five of the last seven goals in the win at Spratt Stadium.
Jordan Coulon netted the opening goal less than four minutes into the game, beginning a hat-trick day for the Griffon senior.
Madison Brady,
Mikaela Ness and
Caetryn Gilreath added two goals apiece, and the Griffons dominated their way to the win.
The first quarter didn't see much action, as the Griffons scored the only three goals while holding the Bearcats (6-9, 2-2 GLVC) in check. The second quarter saw the game light up, as the Griffons notched seven goals until giving up one in the quarter's final minute. The Griffons pushed the score to 10-0 at one point and coasted going into halftime up 10-1.
Missouri Western was in cruise control in the second half of the game, playing steadily on both ends of the field. The Griffons let McKendree grab two goals in the third period, making the score 11-3 going into the fourth. Pruitt grabbed two more goals in the fourth, and Ness scored one of her two goals in between Pruitt's strikes to push the lead to 12-3. McKendree scored with just under 30 seconds left in the game, but the Griffons were already well on their way, notching a 14-4 win on Senior Day.
Six Griffs were honored in their final game at Spratt Stadium: Brady; Coulon;
Campbell Kennedy;
Hallie Clark;
Claire Coretti; and
Delanie Boyd. It is just the third senior class that Griffon Lacrosse has ever produced, and they have a chance to help MWSU set new program-high in wins with two more regular-season games remaining.
NOTABLES
- The Griffons held McKendree to just five shots on target.
- Gilreath joined Maleah Sosa with three assists each on the evening.
- Ness led all players with seven draw controls.
- Missouri Western won 15 draw controls compared to McKendree's six.
- The Griffons are 3-0 on Senior Day in the program's three-season existence.
UP NEXT
The Griffons (8-6. 2-2 GLVC) prep for their final road swing of the season, starting with a pivotal game at Lewis (4-7, 0-4 GLVC). A win on Friday at 4 p.m. would clinch the Griffons' first-ever appearance in the GLVC Tournament and first-ever winning season.
