WENHAM, Mass.—A 5-0 run over the final 13 minutes of game time spurred Gordon Women's Lacrosse to a 10-5 win over Mount Holyoke in the season opener for both sides. After the Lyons tied the game at the midway point of the second half, Gordon's offense came alive in a big way to secure the program's first season-opening victory since the 2014 season.
Sophomore Olivia McCarrick (Glen Burnie, Md.) assumed her role as the team's top returning scorer with two goals right out of the chute. The attacker scored her first with 21:38 remaining in the opening period before adding another unassisted strike less than three minutes later to put the Scots up by two.
Mount Holyoke held Gordon scoreless for the next 11 minutes, allowing themselves to chip back on the other end of the field. Charlotte Wagner (West Chester, Pa.) scored the Lyons first goal of the year with 13:53 to go before Julianna Rankin (Annapolis, Md.) pulled the game event approaching the final 10 minutes of the half.
Not to be outdone, MC Aston (Greenwich, N.Y.) put the Scots back on top on a nice Anna Rourke (Hamilton, Mass.) feed from behind the net.
The score stayed at 3-2 until McCarrick struck gold again with 21 seconds left in the first half. The sophomore ran the ball all the way in from midfield and placed a ball underneath the keeper's stick to give Gordon a 4-2 halftime lead.
The Lyons came out of the break as the more aggressive team on offense and it led to two quick goals. Mary LaVigne (New Milford, Conn.) took one in herself just two minutes into the half before Wagner added her second of the game at the 24:13 mark to suddenly tie the game at four.
Rourke kicked off a busy second half with the go-ahead goal with 20 minutes to go, but the Lyons countered back again with Rankin's second of the game on a nice entry pass from Leila Kouakou (Leeds, Mass.).
The score stayed at 5-5 for four minutes when Caroline Walton (Irvine, Calif.) scooped up a ball and spun around the crease for a nifty goal. Just two minutes later, Rourke scored her second of the half when McCarrick found her wide open in front of the keeper off a re-entry.
Gordon's offense was full steam ahead from there, scoring three more times in the final six minutes to put the game on ice. McCarrick and Rourke combined for all three, giving each of them four for the contest.
Mount Holyoke held the shots advantage in both halves, but were only able to put 14 of its 31 chances on frame. Meanwhile, Gordon had 18 of 24 shots on net.
Isa Rodruiguez (Columbus, Ohio) played well for the Lyons with eight stops in a full game of action. Melanie Dwyer (Reading, Mass.) and Anastasia Landman (Cheswick, Pa.) split time, while making nine saves. Dwyer got the win after stopping six balls in the first half.
Gordon converted on two of six free-position chances, while the Lyons went zero in four.
The visitors will look to rebound next Saturday when they play their first home game against Bridgewater State at noon. Gordon heads on the road next Saturday to play Salem State at the same time.
