Women's Lacrosse Trades Goals Early, Falls at Home to Drury

Marshall, Mo., (March 6, 2024)-  The Missouri Valley College women's lacrosse team hosted Drury (Mo.) in a non-conference game Wednesday afternoon inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium.  The two teams traded goals early in the contest, but the Vikings fell by a final score of 17-5.

Scoring in the game started with just over one minute played, as Drury went in front, 1-0.  Junior Goalkeeper Melissa Sandoval (Weiser, Idaho) came up with a save after the ensuing draw, and the two teams traded possession over the next stretch.  Sandoval made another save with just over five minutes off the clock, which eventually led to possession for the Vikings.  Freshman Midfielder Hailey Davis (Maryville, Tenn.) took advantage of the opportunity, and scored near the nine-minute mark to tie the teams at 1-1.  Drury responded over the next several minutes, and added three-straight goals to eventually hold a 4-1 advantage with less than five minutes to play in the quarter.  The Vikings got one of those goals back shortly after the restart, as Freshman Attacker Atleigh Lark (Alma, Mo.) put a free position shot into the net to cut the deficit down to 4-2.  Missouri Valley pressured late in the quarter, and scored just before time ran out, as Lark shrunk the gap to 4-3 heading into the second quarter of play.

Quickly after the draw control to begin the second quarter, Drury added to its lead, scoring moments into play to hold a 5-3 advantage.  The two teams traded possession over the next three minutes of play, which included another save from Sandoval.  The save led to possession for MVC, and Atleigh Lark set up Junior Midfielder Allexis Lark (Alma, Mo.) with a goal to make it a 5-4 score with just over three minutes off the clock.  The following draw control was won by Drury, and the deficit grew to 6-4 just over one minute later.  Drury tacked on another three goals over the next five minutes to stay ahead, 9-4.  Missouri Valley answered with possession and eventually a free position chance for Allexis Lark.  The shot beat the DU keeper and put MVC in a 9-5 deficit late in the half.  With time winding down before the break, Drury tacked on one more goal.  Sandoval made another save just before time expired, but the Vikings trailed at halftime, 10-5.

The third quarter featured the majority of possession owned by Drury, as four goals were scored to widen the gap out to 14-5.  Missouri Valley was unable to work back late in the game, and Drury scored another three goals in the final minutes of the contest.  The Vikings eventually fell by a final score of 17-5.

Atleigh Lark led with two goals and one assist, while Allexis Lark totaled two goals and three ground balls.  Davis had one goal.  Sandoval made eight saves in goal and came up with four ground balls.  Missouri Valley finished with 16 ground balls in the game and nine turnovers caused.

Missouri Valley drops to 1-2, while Drury improves to 3-2.

Up next, the Viking women's lacrosse team hosts Health Sciences & Pharmacy (Mo.), Saturday at 12 p.m., inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium.

Box Score-Click Here

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Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.