McMINNVILLE, Ore. --- Linfield women's lacrosse (3-3, 1-0 NWC) opened up Northwest Conference play against the Pacific Boxers (4-3, 0-1 NWC), earning a dominant 12-4 win thanks to two Wildcats scoring four goals each.
 
Both teams traded shots early in the game, followed by a handful of success clear attempts. Linfield struck first, earning a free position attempt with 7:11 remaining in the opening quarter, where Savannah Irwin slotted home the first goal of the game.
 
The defense kept Pacific without a shot attempt over the final 6:34, taking a 1-0 lead into the second quarter. 
 
Linfield was unable to execute on a pair of free position shots early, allowing Pacific to score a man-up goal to tie the game at 1-1. The Boxers scored again just 90-seconds later, taking a 2-1 lead for a short time before Apple Riso netted the 2-2 equalizer on the other end. 
 
The 'Cats offense got rolling to end the half, controlling the majority of the possession. Gabby Crist netted a goal off of a pass from Irwin to go up 3-2 before Heidi Schaefer and Evelyn Cross scored twice more late. Linfield led 5-2 over the Pacific at halftime.
 
Schaefer helped Linfield with a man-down free position goal early in the third to extend the lead even further. Pacific netted one goal with 4:43 remaining, but Schaefer answered with her third of the game inside the final minute to make it 7-3 with 15 minutes to play.
 
Strong defending held the Boxers in check for the large majority of the final quarter, dominating the time of possession and easily clearing the ball. Irwin slotted a free position attempt out of the gate before Maizri Chandler got a free position goal of her own with 8:42 remaining. Irwin scored twice more to bring her game total to four, while Schaefer did the same with one more score to give the 'Cats a 12-4 victory.
 
Linfield notches their first Northwest Conference win under first year head coach Monica Potter, avenging a previous non-conference loss at Pacific. 
 
Irwin and Schaefer's four goals each led the 'Cats offensive, totaling 11 of the team's 27 shots. Irwin and Crist also had two assists a-piece in the game. The defense caused 14 Boxers turnovers, grabbing 27 total ground balls. Goalkeeper Tenley Hodge was steady in the cage, making nine saves on 16 shots faced.
 
Women's lacrosse heads to southern California for three games in four days next week, taking on Cal Lutheran, Occidental and Pomona-Pitzer for the spring break trip.
 
To follow Linfield Wildcats coverage all season long, visit golinfieldwildcats.com. Please consider following Linfield Athletics on Facebook, and @LinfieldSports on Instagram and X.com. 
 
  Read Full Article