RADFORD, Va. -- The Radford University women's lacrosse team began its home slate on Saturday afternoon when they hosted in-state foe Old Dominion. After a hot start for the Highlanders and a back-and-forth affair for the majority of the contest, a six-goal fourth quarter for the Monarchs ultimately proved to be the difference as they picked up a 13-3 victory.
In her first start of the season,
Margaret Gleason tallied her first goal of the year to give the Highlanders an early advantage. After an equalizer from Old Dominion, freshman
Reece Morrish found the back of the net to reestablish Radford's lead. Then three unanswered goals from Old Dominion to close out the first quarter gave the visitors a 4-2 advantage after the first 15 minutes of play.
A flurry of goals in the opening quarter was followed by a low-scoring battle in the second frame. Both squads scored one goal each; the Monarchs extended their scoring run to four goals before Radford scored the final goal of the opening half.
Laura Ferko tabbed her first goal of the campaign off a feed from
Erica Lawrence as the Highlanders trimmed the deficit to two at the intermission.
Radford opened up the second half with five shots in the first four minutes of play but just could not find the finishing touch. As the Highlanders continued to make a late push, penalties plagued the home team and gave Old Dominion advantages that eventually sparked their run of eight consecutive goals.
Gleason posted a team-high nine shots in the contest. Morrish poured in five shots and
Linley Tirrell tacked on four attempts as well.
Olivia Hunter posted another strong performance between the pipes as she tallied a season-high 16 saves.
UP NEXT
The Highlanders will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 22 when they travel to Virginia Commonwealth University. That non-conference matchup is slated to begin at 4:00 p.m.
FOLLOW RADFORD WOMEN'S LACROSSE
To follow the Radford women's lacrosse team throughout the season, visit RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordWLAX on Twitter, @radfordwlax on Instagram and Radford Women's Lacrosse on Facebook.
