ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Griffon Lacrosse (4-4) battled through a tightly contested first half, but No. 23 Grand Valley State (1-7) used a strong second-half push to pull away for a 9-6 win.

MoWest struck first just under one minute into the contest as Madi Brinkman found the back of the net off an assist from Caetryn Gilreath to take an early 1-0 lead. Grand Valley State answered quickly and used a three-goal stretch in the opening quarter to build a 3-1 advantage.

The Griffons responded in the second quarter, cutting into the deficit with a goal from Brinley Willenbrock before Gilreath capitalized on a man-up opportunity off a feed from Maleah Sosa to even the score at 3-3. After Grand Valley briefly regained the lead, Jessica Brook delivered a late goal to tie the game at 4-4 heading into the break.

In the third quarter, the Lakers began to create separation. After MoWest tied the game at 5-5 behind Quinn Denne, Grand Valley State answered with a 3-0 run to take an 8-5 lead into the fourth.

The Griffons continued to fight in the final period, as Maddie Chidester found the net midway through the quarter to make it 8-6. However, Grand Valley added a late goal on a man-up chance to secure the 9-6 final.

What's Next
Griffon Lacrosse will open GLVC conference play on Saturday, April 4, traveling to Quincy for a 12 p.m. matchup in Quincy, Illinois.