Photo courtesy of the Athletics Department
Julianna Rankin ’20 at Lacrosse v. Gordon College.
BY GIGI PICARD ’22
Mount Holyoke Lacrosse emerged victorious in their season opener on home turf. The Lyons faced off against Gordon College on Saturday, Feb. 22 with a landslide win of 18-5, leaving Gordon with a 0-1 record.
Abby Baldwin ’22 and Allie Brown ’22 each recorded three goals and two assists. Baldwin came up with five shots on goal, while Brown had four.
Captain Julianna Rankin ’20 posted three goals and three shots on goals, and finished with a team-high of four draw controls.
“As a captain this season, I am really focused on team cohesiveness and making sure that everyone is comfortable with each other,” Rankin said. “This will help us play better together as we will understand each person’s motivation and communication style better; moreover, building strong relationships will help us support each other off of the field as well.”
Rankin assisted Emma Legacki ’22 in Legacki’s lone goal. Legacki’s goal would be the start of 10 unanswered points put up by the Lyons, which continued into the second half.
The score was 8-2 at halftime. Within the first three minutes of the second half, the Lyons scored four more goals.
“As a senior, my advice to first years would be to trust their abilities and make smart decisions,” Rankin. “From personal experience, I can say that things start to fall apart once you get frantic or start focusing on mistakes.”
The Lyons finished with four more unanswered points in the last 14 minutes of the game.
“I think it was a great start to the season for us. Not only did we get our first win, but we also met a lot of our team statistical goals,” Rankin said. “This game also showed how we are able to work well together and make great connections throughout the midfield and on the attack.”
Mount Holyoke lacrosse will return home to host Western New England University on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at the Mount Holyoke Turf and Track Complex.