Women's Lacrosse Closes Regular Season With Win Over Midland

Marshall, Mo., (April 11, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College women's lacrosse team hosted Midland (Neb.) to close the regular season Friday afternoon inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium.  The Vikings trailed early, but eventually pulled away for a 16-7 win.

The game opened with both teams trading possession through a long stretch of play in the first quarter.  The first shot on goal came with nearly five minutes played, as Senior Goalkeeper Melissa Sandoval (Weiser, Idaho) came up with the save.  Sandoval added another save just over one minute later, which was followed by another possession for Midland.  The Warriors eventually found the first goal of the contest, near the seven-minute mark, to move in front.  Missouri Valley came back with its first quality chance, as a shot from Sophomore Midfielder Hailey Davis (Maryville, Tenn.) was saved.  Midland came back with possession, and forced Freshman Goalkeeper Audrey Connolly (Houston, Texas) into a save.  The ensuing ground ball was picked up by the Warriors, and finished the chance off with a goal to hold a 2-0 advantage with just over five minutes to play in the first quarter.  The Vikings answered, and scored two goals in less than two minutes.  The first from Freshman Midfielder Ava Graham (Pearland, Texas), off a Sophomore Attack Rose Szymanski (Southampton, England) save.  Moments after the ensuing draw control, Szymanski tied the game at 2-2 with a goal.  Two more goals came from MVC, with the first coming near the three-minute mark, as Freshman Attack Tiyanna Thomas (Hampton, Ga.) put the team in front, 3-2.  Senior Attack Allexis Lark (Alma, Mo.) scored moments later on a player-advantage opportunity to put the advantage at 4-2.  Midland cut into its deficit with a goal near the one-minute mark, but a late goal from Davis sent Missouri Valley into the second quarter in front, 5-3.

The Vikings controlled nearly the entire second quarter, as the scoring started one minute into play from Davis on a free-position opportunity.  Moments after the ensuing draw control, Davis set up Lark with a shot to put the lead at 7-3.  Connolly made one save, just over three minutes into the quarter, and Lark tacked on a goal near the 10-minute mark.  Sophomore Attack Atleigh Lark (Alma, Mo.) increased the advantage with another goal after the restart.  Missouri Valley added another pair of goals midway through the quarter, as Graham made it a 10-3 score, and the final goal of the half came from Szymanski with less than six minutes to play before the break.  Connolly made one more save before the quarter came to an end, and MVC sat on top at halftime, 11-3.

Possession was traded at the start of the third quarter.  Midland hit the post nearly five minutes into play, then cut into its deficit approaching the nine-minute mark, to trail 11-4.  The Vikings came back and scored quickly after the restart, as Atleigh Lark sent a shot into the Warrior net.  Then, Davis came back with another goal after a draw control to widen the gap to 13-5 with just over eight minutes to play in the quarter.  The advantage grew to double-digits nearly three minutes later, as Graham assisted on a Szymanski goal, followed by a goal from Graham after the ensuing draw control.  Midland closed the third quarter on a run, outscoring MVC by a 3-0 margin over the final three minutes of play, but the Vikings went into the fourth quarter holding a 15-7 advantage.

Action in the fourth quarter began with Missouri Valley adding to its lead on a goal scored by Allexis Lark in less than two minutes of play.  The Vikings limited Midland to no shots on goal through the entire quarter, and maintained their advantage until finishing out a win by a final score of 16-7.

Allexis Lark led with four goals, and Graham totaled three goals and five assists.  Davis added three goals and three assists, while Szymanski had three goals and one assist.  Atleigh Lark had two goals and one assist, and Thomas scored one goal. Connolly made 11 saves in goal.  Missouri Valley came up with 20 draw controls, forced Midland into 25 turnovers and collected 24 ground balls.

Missouri Valley finished the season with a 5-9 overall record, and a 2-6 record in the Heart.  Midland falls to 0-10 overall and 0-8 in the conference.  The Vikings topped the Warriors, 22-8, back on March 29, setting a new program-record for single-game goals.

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About Missouri Valley College

Standing out as one of the most innovative and student-focused liberal arts colleges in the Midwest, Missouri Valley College (MVC) is committed to preparing students for success beyond the classroom. Through the Viking Voyage program, MVC prioritizes career readiness from day one, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel after graduation. Each of MVC's 30+ in-demand majors—including nursing, business, cybersecurity, computer science, criminal justice, and exercise science—integrates personal instruction, experiential learning, and professional opportunities to prepare graduates to thrive in a rapidly changing and globally connected world. At Missouri Valley College, higher education is more than earning a degree—it's a transformative journey that begins with the end.