BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh women's lacrosse team jumped out to a 5-0 lead and held UC Davis scoreless for the game's first 36:36 as the Mountain Hawks defeated the Aggies 7-2 to win their fourth straight home opener at a frigid Ulrich Sports Complex on Friday. Senior Carli Sukonik led the way with four goals, including the 100th of her career, while junior Kendall Garden had one goal, one assist, three groundballs and four caused turnovers.
"It's always great to get a win," said Lehigh head coach Jill Redfern. "I'm thrilled for our team and am proud of our effort today. It was tough conditions for both teams, but I'm happy to get a team victory."
The Mountain Hawks dominated in almost all areas, holding a 30-10 edge in shots and 21-9 advantage in groundballs. Sukonik got the scoring started with 26:46 left in the first half, taking a feed from Garden and burying her second goal of the season and 100th of her career.
Garden made it 2-0 just over eight minutes later before sophomore Allison LaBeau and Sukonik scored to round out the first-half scoring.
Sukonik scored her fourth goal of the game just minutes into the second half, making it 5-0 Mountain Hawks at the 26:27 mark. UC Davis responded with consecutive free position goals, but goals from Sukonik and sophomore Lauren Beausoleil gave Lehigh a 7-2 final.
"We did enough to win the game, for sure, but our shooting percentage wasn't good," said Redfern. "It's an area we need to be better in. We're going to get to work on that."
Sophomore Taylor Tvedt was strong between the pipes, making four saves for her first-career victory. Along with Garden's four caused turnovers, Beausoleil and senior Lauren Willcox each had three cauised turnovers apiece. LaBeau tallied a team-high four groundballs.
The Mountain Hawks will return home on Sunday when they host Niagara at 1 p.m.
"February lacrosse is a tough go. Conditions can be rough and practice situations aren't great, but our team is tough," said Redfern. "I think they came out here today determined to get a win and we're proud of that."
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