SAVANNAH, Ga. - The No. 3 SCAD women's lacrosse team dominated in the Sun Conference semifinal on Friday, winning 17-8 over No. 10 Ave Maria University to advance to the final.
RECORDS: The Bees are now 14-2 on the season, while the Gyrenes end the season 8-9 overall.
HOW IT HAPPENED: SCAD opened the game with three-straight goals from Karley Holland, McKinsey Brown, and Emily Odegaard, to go up 3-0 before the Gyrenes answered with two of their own to come within one (3-2). Ellen Benintendi scored the final goal of the first quarter to give the Bees a 4-2 lead heading into the second quarter.
Emily Odegaard scored back-to-back goals, off assists by McKinsey Brown, to take a 6-2 lead at the 12:22 mark. Ellen Benintendi made it 7-2 in favor of SCAD before Ave Maria scored their first of two goals in the second quarter. Benintendi (Brown), Odegaard (Annise Berkeley), and Emma Roch (Mollie Geiger) scored the Bees' last goals of the half to give SCAD a 10-4 lead at the half.
SCAD's defense held the Gyrenes to only one goal in the third quarter as the Bees scored four goals – Emma Roch (Ellen Benintendi), Emily Odegaard (Mollie Geiger), Geiger, McKinsey Brown – to take a 14-6 lead into the final quarter.
Both teams scored three goals in the final quarter with SCAD's coming from Ellen Benintendi, Karley Holland, and Riley O'Keefe (Lucy Griffeth), as the Bees went on to win 17-8.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: Emily Odegaard led the offense with a game-high five goals, while Ellen Benintendi added four goals and one assist, and McKinsey Brown totaled two goals and three assists, all totaling a game-high five points. Benintendi totaled a game-high 11 draw controls.
Emma Roch and Karley Holland totaled two goals each. Mollie Geiger added one goal and three assists, with Riley O'Keefe tallying one goal. Annise Berkeley and Lucy Griffeth totaled one assist each.
Goalie Chloe Zundel totaled seven saves in the win.
WHAT'S NEXT? The Bees will face No. 10 Life University in the Sun Conference final on Saturday, April 19 at 12:00 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Savannah, Ga.
