LAKE FOREST, IL – Despite strong individual offensive performances, the Beloit College women's lacrosse team faced a formidable conference opponent on Thursday afternoon, falling 25-8 to Lake Forest College at Farwell Field.
The Buccaneers battled throughout the contest, but couldn't keep pace with the high-scoring Foresters. The loss drops Beloit's record to 4-3 overall and 1-2 in conference action, while Lake Forest improves to 6-4 (3-0).
Maya DeGeorge (Grand Junction, Colo.) spearheaded the Beloit attack, showcasing her scoring prowess and play making ability. DeGeorge tallied a team-high four goals and added two assists for a six-point outing. She was also a dominant force on the draw, securing an impressive 15 draw controls for the Buccaneers.
Johanna McNair (Fishers, Ind.) provided a significant offensive spark as well, finding the back of the net three times and dishing out one assist for four points. Daisy Kleinhoffer (Minooka, IL) added a goal for Beloit, scoring the team's second goal late in the first period, assisted by DeGeorge. Willow Mashkuri (Middlesex, Vt.) also contributed to the scoresheet with an assist on McNair's final goal of the third period.
McNair's final goal with 54 seconds left in the third marked the 129th of her career, setting a new school record.
Beloit showed flashes of offensive rhythm, particularly early on. After falling behind, goals from DeGeorge and Kleinhoffer made it 5-2 after the first quarter. McNair and DeGeorge scored consecutive goals early in the second to pull Beloit within one at 5-4.
However, Lake Forest responded with sustained scoring runs in the second and third periods to pull away. Beloit demonstrated resilience, capitalizing on man-up opportunities. McNair scored twice on the advantage in the third period, one via a free-position shot, and DeGeorge added a man-up free-position goal in the fourth quarter. Overall, Beloit was efficient on free-position attempts, converting 2 of their 3 chances.
While Lake Forest held advantages in shots (39-14) and ground balls (22-5), Beloit fought hard in the center circle, winning the overall draw control battle 20-14 thanks largely to DeGeorge's efforts.
In goal for Beloit, Kim Pilon (Birch Run, Mich.) played the opening 45 minutes, facing a high volume of shots and recording 6 saves. Jasmin Bowers (Richmond, Texas)s played the final 15 minutes in net.
