Box Score NORTH CANTON, Ohio - Junior
Caetryn Gilreath's six-point showing highlighted Griffon Lacrosse's (5-3) 12-11 nail-biting win over the defending three-time G-MAC Champion Walsh Cavaliers (2-7) on Tuesday morning at Larry Staudt Field.
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Senior
Sam Pruitt set the tone early with four goals in the first half, including three in the opening quarter to propel the Griffons to an early 4-1 lead. Walsh found a rhythm in the second quarter with a pair of goals to cut its deficit to one, but Western answered with three straight goals at the tail end of the half to take a 7-3 lead into the intermission.
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After a competitive third quarter where each team scored three times, the Griffons entered the final 15 minutes of play with a 10-6 lead. However, the remainder of the match proved challenging for the Griffons as the Cavaliers quickly closed the gap. With just 2:31 remaining, the Cavaliers brought the score to within two goals and managed to score again in the final seconds. Nevertheless, their efforts were not enough to overcome the Griffons, who secured the 12-11 victory.
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Gilreath recorded five goals, along with three ground balls, two caused turnovers and one assist. Pruitt had a near-identical line with five goals, three ground balls and two caused turnovers. Sophomore
Brooke Tjernlund also had a strong performance, contributing three points (one goal and two assists), two caused turnovers and two ground balls.
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Sophomore goalie
Ava Garaway (5-3) collected her fifth win of the season in the cage with five saves.
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MWSU will return to Spratt Stadium on Monday, March 31 at 2:00 p.m. for the non-conference finale against the Dominican Penguins.