ELKINS, W.Va. —Wesleyan lacrosse dropped a 22-2 Mountain East Conference road decision to Davis & Elkins on Wednesday afternoon at Nuttall Field, as the Senators used a fast first-quarter surge to seize control early and never looked back.
Davis & Elkins opened the scoring just 51 seconds into the match when Izzie Sevila converted a free-position chance at the 14:09 mark of the first quarter. That goal started a long opening-period run for the home side. After goalie
Emeri Boggs made several early saves to help keep Wesleyan within striking distance, the Senators gradually turned pressure into separation, scoring 12 times in the first quarter for a 12-0 lead. Rylee Anderson scored five times in the contest, including four first-quarter goals, while Savannah Quave and Talia Berardo also helped fuel the early burst.
Despite the deficit, the Bobcats found a spark in the second quarter. After Davis & Elkins pushed the margin to 15-0 on goals by Ke'ya Stevens, Berardo, and Morgan Rogers, Wesleyan answered with its best stretch of the afternoon.
Wiktoria Walska got the Bobcats on the board at 10:41 of the second period, cashing in on a free-position opportunity. Just over a minute later, Walska set up
Nyah Elmer for Wesleyan's second goal at the 9:07 mark. That brief two-goal run trimmed the margin to 15-2.
Walska finished with a goal and an assist, while Elmer added a goal on a team-high five shots and controlled four draws.
Francesca Sloan put three shots on goal and added a caused turnover and a draw control, while Boggs,
Tatiyana Blacknall, and
Ella Gomez combined for 16 saves in goal. Boggs recorded five saves in her opening stint, Blacknall added three, and Gomez stopped eight shots over the final 28:31.
For the match, Davis & Elkins held advantages in shots (41-10), shots on goal (34-5), ground balls (24-5), and draw controls (17-8). Wesleyan went 3-for-4 on clears and generated two free-position chances, converting one of them. The Bobcats were also tested by a penalty-filled first quarter, which helped the Senators maintain attacking momentum during their decisive opening run.
Berardo and Anderson paced the Senators with five goals apiece, while Quave finished with two goals and three assists and Rogers posted two goals and two assists.
The Bobcats host Wheeling University on Saturday, April 4 at 1 p.m. in Buckhannon.
