BELOIT, Wis. – In a Saturday afternoon matchup at Strong Stadium, the Beloit College women's lacrosse team displayed grit and defensive determination despite falling 13-2 to Marian University (Wis.). While the final score favored the Sabres (3-10, 2-4 NACC), the Buccaneers (0-11, 0-6 NACC) showed flashes of brilliance, particularly in the circle and on the defensive end.
The Buccaneers' offense was led by Willow Mashkuri (Middlesex, Vt.) and Julia Fussy (Mahtomedi, Minn.), who provided the scoring highlights for the home crowd.
Beloit's first goal came midway through the second period. Capitalizing on a player-advantage situation, Mashkuri found an opening in the Marian defense to fire home a man-up goal at the 0:50 mark. The momentum from that play carried into the second half, where the Buccaneers continued to press.
Early in the fourth period, Fussy sparked a late-game surge. Just 37 seconds into the final frame, Fussy beat the Marian goalkeeper unassisted to notch Beloit's second goal of the day, capping off a performance where she led the team in multiple statistical categories.
Several Buccaneers delivered standout individual performances that kept the game competitive. In addition to her fourth-quarter goal, Fussy was a force across the field, leading the team with 5 ground balls and 3 draw controls. The Buccaneers' goalkeeper Kim Pilon (Birch Run, Mich.) was under constant pressure but stood tall, recording 6 saves and tying for the team lead with 6 ground balls. Kiera Fairnington (Fort Frances, Ontario) and Chrissy Niesel (Herne, Germany) were disruptive all afternoon, each recording 3 caused turnovers to frustrate the Marian attack. Tate Hutchinson (Calgary, Alberta) was instrumental in the midfield, contributing 3 ground balls and 3 draw controls to help Beloit win the possession battle in the circle.
One of the brightest spots for Beloit was their performance on draw controls. The Buccaneers actually out-dueled the Sabres in the circle, winning 9 draws compared to Marian's 8.
The Buccaneer defense also showed significant improvement as the game progressed. After a high-scoring second period by Marian, Beloit tightened their scheme, holding the Sabres to just one goal in the entire fourth period. Beloit also remained efficient on their transitions, successfully clearing the ball 10 out of 14 times.
The Buccaneers head to Chicago, Illinois and Illinois Tech. Game time is set for 5 pm.
