Box Score Photo by samsphotoservices.com
Redlands, CA – Last Wednesday, April 12, Occidental lacrosse traveled to Redlands, California and competed against the University of Redlands for the last time this season. The Tigers ended halftime with a strong lead which led to their victory.
The final score was 20-14 Tigers. Of Occidental's 20 goals, eight people scored: Ava Whelan, Emma Cho, Ella Skoglund, Maeve Moylan, Gabriella Acker, Bella Kwan, Halle Knutson, and Olivia Okamoto. Both junior captains Bella Kwan, midfielder, and Halle Knutson, attacker, had hat tricks against the bulldogs. Impressively, the Tiger with the most goals was first-year midfielder Olivia Okamoto with six. Okamoto's goals made the difference between a tie and a win for the Tigers! The Tigers scored six of their goals off of assists, six of their goals off of free position shots, and eight of their goals off of unassisted drives. The Tigers were 6/7 on free position shots this game.
Additionally, the Tigers fought hard on the draw and won. Occidental came up with 21/35 of the draw controls. The leaders on the draw circle were Halle Knutson (3), junior attacker Ariel Shweiki (4), first-year midfielder Ava Whelan (5), and first-year midfielder Maeve Moylan (7). Shweiki and Moylan also led the fight on ground ball pick-ups and were joined by first-year defenders Ellie Mahoney and Sydney Acol. All four of these players had three ground balls for the Tigers.
On the defensive side of the field, sophomore goalie, Andie Angelacci, had nine crucial saves against the Bulldogs. Also, one of Occidental's sophomore defenders, Abilene Prewitt, face guarded Redland's attacker Emily Webster. The Tigers' defense had to adjust to this change, but Prewitt and the rest of the team held Webster to only one goal (which she made off of a free position shot). Webster is currently second in the SCIAC for overall conference goals, fifth in points, and first in shots taken. Perhaps the Tigers' ability to shut-off Webster led to their defensive success; however, regardless, their ability to keep her to only one goal was a massive win for Occidental.
