By Joey Bachich
Staff Writer
The No. 10 Lions defeated Moravian University 25-9 in their season opener on Feb. 24. This gave them their first win in a quest for a national championship this season.
Preview
The Lions opened up their season on the road against Moravian. The College looked to find their footing early in the season with the loss of a ton of seniors from last year. A new look Lions team hopes to field a high-flying offense with depth and a defense that is extremely athletic and can dominate the transition game.
The game
The game started off with Moravian jumping out to an early 2-0 lead, taking advantage of a few fouls and turnovers from the College. The Lions then turned up the heat, scoring six straight goals and dominating at the face off circle with 10 wins in the quarter. They kept their foot on the gas and ended the quarter up 9-4.
The second quarter saw a flurry of penalties from both sides. The penalty kill and powerplay were vital in keeping the large lead. Senior secondary education major Ally Tobler and freshman secondary education major Gabriella Roosa scored on back-to-back power plays, putting the Lions up 11-5.
The middle of the second quarter saw a few turnovers from the Lions and slowed the scoring a little bit for both teams. At the end of the half, the Lions pulled away, putting up four unanswered goals in under three minutes.
The second half had the same domination by the Lions, who asserted their way of play in bunches of scores. In the third quarter, the Lions shutout Moravian and put the game fully out of reach, winning by a final score of 25-9.
Steady pieces and new faces
A few standout performances from the game were from a mix of players for the Lions. Tobler put in a great performance again with six goals and two assists. Senior nursing major Madison Wernick anchored the defense with four caused turnovers, tying her career high, and five ground balls. Another senior standout was special education major Kira Sides, who had five draw controls and three assists.
Two freshmen, Roosa and mechanical engineering major KJ Cole, came out and made a name for themselves, both scoring three goals on the day. The biggest standout was sophomore nursing major Marissa Lucca, who scored a team high seven goals. After being held out in 2023 with an injury, Lucca has given the Lions a new gear and could be a cornerstone piece in an amazing year.
