Granville, Ohio — Denison women's lacrosse team opened NCAA Tournament play in dominant fashion on Sunday afternoon with a commanding 23–4 victory over Lake Forest in the second round at Kienzle-Hylbert Stadium. With the win, the Big Red advance to the NCAA Third Round and improve to 15–4 overall.
After earning a first-round bye, Denison wasted no time taking control. Bridget Sheehy opened the scoring less than a minute into the contest, sparking a offensive surge. The Big Red poured in nine goals in the first quarter alone, including a hat trick from senior attacker Anna DeVuono and tallies from Grayson O'Marra, Mary Martinson, Madison Goldstein, Emersen Thompson, Sophie Davenport, and Sheehy. Denison closed the first quarter with an 8–0 run to make the score 9-1
The Big Red extended their dominance in the second quarter, netting seven unanswered goals to take a 16–1 lead at halftime. DeVuono added her fourth of the day, while Caroline Brooks, Martinson, Anie Savarese, Jamie Epstein, Addie Clift, and Sydney Lavin all found the back of the net in a relentless offensive performance.
Despite a few fourth-quarter goals from Lake Forest, the Big Red added seven more goals in the second half, with highlights including scores from MK Barnhart, Josie Pruss, Thompson's second of the day, and a goal from first-year Tessa Espinosa.
DeVuono once again led the way with four goals, while Martinson added a hat trick. Caroline Brooks dished out a career-high four assists and added a goal of her own to power a balanced Denison offense that saw 15 different players score.
Denison's defense was dominant, allowing just four goals and limiting Lake Forest to only 11 shots while forcing 13 turnovers. The Big Red controlled the game with a 24–5 advantage in draw controls and 19–11 in ground balls. They also kept Lake Forest to a 6-for-14 success rate on clears. On the offensive end, Denison capitalized on free-position opportunities, converting 8 of 15 attempts, while Lake Forest was unable to register a single free-position shot.
With the commanding victory, Denison moves on to the Third Round, where they will take on Franklin and Marshall on Saturday, May 17.
