HOME OF BULLDOG WOMEN'S LACROSSE

The University of Redlands women’s lacrosse team rounded out its play against out-of-region opponents for the 2009 season when it traveled to the East Coast, taking on No. 17 Williams College (MA) on Wednesday and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Thursday.

Williams led from start to finish and downed the Bulldogs, 16-0, in Williamstown, MA. Freshman midfielder Rachel Haag (Newtown, PA) provided a defensive spark off of the bench, causing a team-high three turnovers.

The Maroon and Gray started out hot against MIT in Cambridge, MA, but the Engineers battled back and finished strong, winning 17-11.

Redlands looked to four different goal scorers to start the game as senior midfielder Lauren Matta (Holyoke, MA), sophomore midfielder Christy Smith (St. Louis Park, MN), junior attack player Diana Frey (Silver Spring, MD) and junior attack player Mary Shepherd (Dallas, TX) all ripped shots past the Engineer goalkeeper, giving the Bulldogs a 4-0 advantage just four minutes into contest.

Matta netted her second goal of the tilt after MIT put its first point on the board, and she completed the hat trick after the Engineers tallied two more.

MIT rattled off four unanswered scores to go up, 7-6, but freshman defender Megan Prickett (Poway, CA) knotted the game at seven with an unassisted goal.

The Bulldogs entered halftime down, 7-9, after the Engineers put two away in the final 30 seconds of the first period.

Junior attack player Haley Kern (Portland, OR) brought the score within one early on in the second half, but MIT extended its lead with three goals in less than two minutes.

Redlands mounted a rally when senior midfielder Liza Gray (Centennial, CO) and Smith found the back of the net, but the Engineers scored five of the game’s final six goals to seal the 17-11 triumph.

Matta and Smith offered three goals apiece to pace the Bulldog offense. In addition, Matta corralled three draw controls and picked up one ground ball while Smith controlled two draws and also scooped up a ground ball.

Tending the net for the Maroon and Gray, sophomore goalkeeper Katrina Hostak (Maple Valley, WA) saved 13 shots while playing the entirety of the match.

Redlands (6-6) competes on Monday against Whittier College in Whittier. The opening draw is set for 7 p.m.