W. Lax Returns Home to Host Brown

After playing two games on the road, a 12-8 loss to Dartmouth on Saturday and Monday’s 5-3 win over the University of New Hampshire, the women’s lacrosse team is prepared to host Brown University at Schoellkopf Field tomorrow.
The win against UNH marked the end of a four-game losing streak for the Red, with each of the losses coming against teams ranked in the top-20. The match against UNH showcased the Red’s tough defense. Junior goalkeeper Kristen Reese achieved career-best results, making 13 saves and holding guard at the net without allowing one goal for over 31 minutes during the first half. UNH, a team that averages 13 goals per game, wasn’t allowed much room for scoring.
“The win over UNH reflected a team effort at both ends of the field. [Reese] had a great game and was key in our defensive effort to hold the opposition to under five goals, as was Kaitlyn Giles, who held UNH’s leading scorer to zero goals or assists. Our attack also made smart decisions with possession and moved the ball well,” said junior midfielder Morgan Hale.
The matchup against Brown (6-4, 2-1 Ivy) will be an opportunity for the Red (6-4, 1-3) to build off the momentum of its success and to hopefully add another Ivy win to its record.
“Ivy games are always exciting, and our team will hopefully come out hard and hopefully we can put 60 good minutes together,” said assistant coach Karrie Moore.
Last time the Red faced Brown, Cornell came out with a 17-9 win, and the Red leads in the all-time series record with Brown by a close 15-14 margin.[img_assist|nid=36741|title=All Hale|desc=Junior midfielder Morgan Hale (32) will look to steal an Ivy win at home against tough foe Brown tomorrow.|link=node|align=left|width=|height=0]
“Ivy League games are always very competitive, and Brown will provide us with the opportunity to compete on our home field, something our team takes great pride in,” Hale said.
Brown is coming off of a commanding 21-6 win over Bryant earlier this week, in which it demonstrated a deep offensive line — 12 different players scored in the match. The Bears’ offense is spearheaded by Katelyn Caro, who has tallied 23 goals and 26 total points. Lauren Vitkus leads the team in ground balls with 21, and in ground controls with 19.
Coming up against the Bears’ strong offense will require the Red to maintain the same kind of solid defense it displayed in the game against New Hampshire.
“They’re really scrappy, they’re aggressive. They’re just a tough team,” Moore said.
The Red will not only focus on maintaining a strong defense, but also on continuing to generate scoring opportunities with aggression from the front line.
“The captains are continuing to focus our team on the importance of playing as one unit and supporting each other all over the field for the entire 60 minute game,” Hale said.
Freshman Jessi Steinberg currently leads the Red in scoring with 13 goals and 10 assists. Four other players — Libby Johnson, Jessica Wiegand, Kate Dewey and Shannon McHugh — also have reached double digits in scoring.
“This weekend will be about collective team effort and just playing together and putting 60 minutes together. I think that’s what we need to do this weekend to win,” Moore said.