The Ashland University women’s lacrosse team is now 4-6 overall and 0-1 in conference play, after falling 16-4 to the Walsh Cavaliers. 

The Eagles played their first Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) game on March 26 and unfortunately fell to the Cavaliers.

“Starting out GMAC play against Walsh was an eye-opener for our team. We came out strong in the first half and showed our true potential,” said Eagle fifth-year Natalie Sonntag. “Now we can focus on capitalizing on our mistakes and coming out with a win next time.

The Cavaliers outshot the Eagles 36-18 through the contest and the Eagles were only able to get thirteen ground balls compared to Walsh’s fifteen. The Eagles also turned over eight more times than the Cavaliers.

In the first quarter, the Cavaliers struck first with two goals early. The Eagles were able to get a goal in the first quarter thanks to senior Maddie Gash, closing out the lead to just one. 

In the second quarter, the two teams played hard and got three goals a piece, with the scoreline sitting at 5-4 in favor of the Cavaliers. 

Once the third quarter hit the Cavaliers dominated the rest of the game scoring four goals in the third and seven goals in the fourth, while shutting out the Eagles. 

“We need to be resilient and learn from these past few games. The GMAC competition is tough, but we need to consistently show up when it matters,” said Head Coach Lauren Simko.

Senior Jillian Rekulak was able to come out of the game with an impressive nine saves for the Eagles.

 Alongside the Rekulak, senior Cassady Becker had a solid day. She pieced together two assists on the day while sophomore Camryn English added on one assist.

Sontagg was another standout who was able to find two goals early in the contest.

“I don’t think Walsh was expecting us to come out with our heads high, since we have never beaten them in program history. I am proud of my team for how far we have come and this is exactly what we needed to start conference play,” she said.

The Eagles hope to bounce back after their first conference loss of the season in their next game as they take on the Lake Erie Storm, on April 2. The game is set for a 12:00 pm start time.