Balanced Effort Leads Loggers Past Poets, 20-12

WHITTIER, Calif. – An accurate offensive effort and an outstanding defensive effort combined to give the Puget Sound Loggers a 20-12 victory over the host Whittier Poets in an NCAA Division III women’s lacrosse match on Sunday morning in Whittier, Calif.

The Loggers came out on the attack right away, converting on six of seven shots for goals as they built the early lead over the host Poets.  On the other end of the field, senior keeper Ana Calciano (Farmington, Conn./Miss Porters School) stopped Whittier’s first six shots to help the Loggers earn the big lead.

The Loggers pushed the lead to 8-0 before Whittier was able to get on the scoreboard with 15:46 left in the first half.  The Poets managed three straight goals by Carolyn Mukai  but Puget Sound got a final goal with just one second left on the clock as freshman Julia Schulman (Durham, N.C./Durham Academy) found sophomore Cathy Soukup (Seal Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos) in front of the net for the score and the 9-3 halftime lead.

In the second half, Whittier scored twice in the first two minutes, sandwiched around a score by Schulman but the Loggers used a 4-0 run, including three straight goals by Anna Gunderson (Bloomington, Minn./John F. Kennedy), to push the lead to 14-5.  Whittier used a 4-1 run to pull back within six but two straight goals from the Loggers put the Loggers back up by eight, 17-9 and the two teams traded goals the rest of the way as the maroon and white earned the 20-12 win.

Puget Sound was led by five goals from Gunderson.  Sophia Lama (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Torrey Pines) and Katie Schlesinger (Lake Oswego, Ore./Lakeridge) each added four goals in the win while Schulman scored three times and assisted on three others to go with five ground balls and three draw controls.  Calciano finished a solid day in net with 20 saves to collect the win.

Whittier was led by a game-high seven goals from Carolyn Mukai, who accounted for 18 of Whittier’s 46 shots.  Jessica Farrell and Conny Joel combined for 12 saves in net while allowing the 20 Logger goals.

The Loggers will take next weekend off before heading out to the Midwest for three games in Wisconsin and Illinois, starting on April 1 against Trine in Kenosha, Wis.