BOX SCORE FAIRFAX, Va. – The Radford women's lacrosse team fell 16-8 in their season-opening game at George Mason on Sunday.
Mady Cheney led the team with five goals while three other Highlanders notched goals of their own.
The Highlanders shined in the first quarter with
Margaret Gleason netting the first goal of the game, barely two minutes in. Not much long after,
Hannah Hanger found Cheney who hit the back of the net to obtain her first goal of the season. George Mason tried to cut down the lead, but freshman
Maddie Abbott took advantage of a man-up opportunity, earning her first collegiate goal. However, George Mason retaliated by going on a 3-0 run to take the lead. An exciting first quarter of play wasn't quite over, as Ashlyn Grogran found an opening to hit Cheney in stride, and she scored to tie the game at four apiece. The quarter ended with George Mason on top 5-4.
From there, the Patriots would go on to take control of the game, pulling ahead with four more goals in the second quarter. The Highlanders' only goal of the quarter came from Cheney to complete her hat trick.
Radford could not keep up with George Mason as they were shutout in the third quarter, bringing the score to 13-5 with one more period to go. However, the fourth and final quarter showed Radford's determination as Cheney and freshman
McKenzie Hines were responsible for the two first goals of the quarter. Although the Patriots then followed with a 3-0 run, Cheney earned the last goal of the game with 25 seconds remaining.
KEY STATS
- Ava LaManna took over in goal at halftime, recording five saves in her first collegiate appearance to earn a .417 save percentage.
- It was a single-game career-high in goals scored for Cheney, putting her career total at 26 goals.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Highlanders will host their first game of the 2024 season against Lindenwood on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 1pm.
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