Women's Collegiate Lacrosse League

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, February 26, 2013… The Marquette University Women’s Club Lacrosse team ended its first weekend of games with three wins and two loses. After months of practice, the team spent two days at the University of Kentucky and started the season off strong.

In the team’s first game, Marquette defeated Marshall University 23-0. Bhavini Patel, goalie, had her first shut-out for the season. The team’s depth was proven in this season opener with a total of 10 players with goals. Point leaders included attack players Ella Engels, with four goals and two assists, Adrienne Mulligan, with two goals and three assists, and midfielder Megan Spagnuolo, with one goal and three assists. Additional goals were scored by attack players Tia Pitas, Karla Padilla, Libbie Engels and Erin Gutchewsky, and midfielders Sam Hessil, Elizabeth Johnson and Patty Gernady.

Marquette’s second game was a win against the University of Cincinnati by 12-5. Point leaders for the team included Ella Engels, with three goals and two assists, Patty Gernady, with five goals, and Tia Pitas, with two goals and one assist. Midfielder Cara Moses and attack player Adrienne Mulligan also had goals. Defensively, Bridget Perry, Michelle West, Tia Pitas and Theresa Tolan had interceptions throughout the game, helping Marquette to maintain possession.

Marquette fell to Ohio University during the last game of the day, with a score of 4-11. Scorers during the game included attack players Andrienne Milligan, Ella Engels, midfielder Alex Hale and defenseman Theresa Tolan. Tolan also had a forced turnover during the game, along with Sierra Pena.

Starting off the second day of games, Marquette defeated Ball State University 12-3. Point leaders for the game were Adrienne Mulligan, with one goal and two assists, and Ella Engels, with two goals and one assists. Additional goals were scored by attack players Libbie Engels, Karla Padilla and midfielder Patty Gernady, with two goals a piece, and midfielders Megan Spagnuolo, Michelle West, Grace Zuniga and attack Maddie Smart, each with one goal. Bridget Perry, Theresa Tolan and MC Ndubuisi-O contributed to the win with interceptions on the defensive end.

In a hard-fought battle, Marquette lost its last game of the weekend to Kentucky University by one point in overtime with a final score of 10-11. Goalie Bhavini Patel had a phenomenal game with a total of 14 saves. Attack player Adrienne Mulligan also had an excellent game, scoring eight of the teams goals. Two additional goals were scored by midfielder Megan Spagnuolo. Defensively, Bridget Perry, Michelle West, Tia Pitas and Sierra Pena kept Marquette in the game with forced turnovers and interceptions.

Overall, Marquette’s season is off to a great start. With a winning record and some games to learn and grow from, the team looks forward to taking on Indiana University and Michigan State University in a few short weeks.