By Dominic Rapposelli
Sports Editor
Washington College women’s lacrosse kicked off their Centennial Conference slate of games with a road win over the Ursinus College Bears on March 23. The Shorewomen ran up the scoreboard against their opponents in the 20-13 victory. A strong first half put the squad out in front early, outsourcing their opponents 12-6 at the midway point.
“With already a good season and then coming out strong, starting our conference play with a win had us very excited for what’s coming next,” sophomore midfielder Anna Wilson said.
Wilson put on a clinic against the Bears with a career best five goal outing. Wilson’s three goals in the third quarter were instrumental in keeping Ursinus just out of reach.
On the road against the Bears, the Shorewomen bested Ursinus each of the last six times the teams met in Collegeville. Additionally, the Shorewomen put them into postseason hibernation in each of the last two season’s first round playoff matchups.
Next up, WC hosted the Gettysburg College Bullets, the team that bested them in the last two postseason outings. Gettysburg got on top early with a 10-0 lead after one quarter to trigger a running game clock. When a team is up by 10 or more points, the clock will continuously run even after goals are scored.
The Bullets, ranked sixth in the nation, lived up to their billing. The visitors defeated WC to the tune of a 19-7 blowout. The Bullets were picked to win the Centennial, followed by Franklin and Marshall College and Haverford College, who were projected to finish second and third, respectively.
WC is slated to finish just behind them at fourth, which is where the squad finished at the end of their last campaign. The competition begins to heat up more when conference play starts, as each team is fighting for playoff spots and national rankings.
“We spend our time really digging into scout[ing] and putting in the work to be ready for anything. We all work so well together and are really enjoying playing together,” Wilson said.
WC will play twenty-fifth ranked Haverford on April 3, and fifth-ranked Franklin and Marshall on April 13.
Also continuing her strong campaign is sophomore attacker Mia Salvatierra. Salvatierra leads the squad with 24 goals and 39 points. She is also ninth in the conference averaging one and a half assists per game. She and the rest of the WC attack have proven that they can score and will need to keep up the intensity in order to keep up with a highly contested Centennial Conference.
“We play some of the strongest defenses and top attacks, but during practice with the talent of our team we have been able recreate that level of play to push that intensity that we will see on the field to prepare us,” Salvatierra said.
The Shorewomen will host the Muhlenberg Mules at 3 p.m. on April 3, for their next home matchup. The Shorewomen have taken the last six matchups against the Mules.
Senior attacker Ellie Bossi added her first goal of the season.
Photo Courtesy of WC Athletics