ASHLAND, Ohio - The NMU women's lacrosse team concluded it weekend in Ohio with a dominant performance, routing the Eagles 17-6.

The game was tightly contested in the opening two frames, as shots were just about even and the 'Cats held one goal advantage after the first half. The second half is where the Wildcats' offense came to life, as the green and gold scored nine unanswered goals with 13 shots to four in the third quarter before adding four more in the final frame to out score the Eagles 13-3 in the final 30 minutes.

After a quiet game on Friday, the third quarter explosion was led by Minnie Bittell, who registered four goals and an assist in the third quarter alone, as she finished the evening with seven goals and an assist for eight points. 

The Wildcats now improve to 9-2 overall and 4-1 on the road this season, and the Eagles fall to 6-5 overall. 

Cat Nips

• Minnie Bittell led all athletes in goals (7), points (8), shots (17), and SOG (13), matching her previous season-high seven goals she reached earlier this season.
  • Bittell has now amassed 50+ goals for the third consecutive season and is two assists shy of her career high (51-17--68)
• Kaitlyn Bridger led all athletes in assists (4) while tacking on a goal to give her five points on the evening, matching her season-best stat-line from the first game against Aquinas
• Laine Stanton notched a career best four goals on the day, second in scoring behind Bittell
• Molly Ruhland had a career day, scoring a hat-trick on three shots on target
• Goalkeeper Lauren Esposito had her best outing in net, making a career-high 12 saves and second-best SV% at .667
• Dayna Carlson led all athletes with four ground balls, followed by Natalie Thomas with three and both Maya Snyder and Norah Bates with two
• The 'Cats outshot the Eagles 36-29, held a 19-10 ground ball advantage, and a 14-11 draw control advantage. 
• In the last four matches, the 'Cats have outscored their opponents 28-13 (a +15 goal differential) in both the first and second half, a combined +30 goal differential (56-26 ) in that four game stretch

How It Happened
The Eagles opened the scoring, but it was the Wildcats who scored the next three straight to end the first quarter up 3-1. The 'Cats were outshot 11-9 in the frame, Esposito was spectacular as she made five saves. The Wildcats controlled the ground, scooping five ground balls to Ashland's one. 

The second quarter was almost an exact mirror of the first quarter, as it was the Ashland netminder making five saves and the Eagles scoring to tie the game at 3-3. Late in the frame, Esposito made a crucial free position save to keep the game tied, and Bittell marched down the field to score with under a minute left to re-take the lead, giving the 'Cats a 4-3 advantage going into halftime. 

The third frame was all NMU, as the 'Cats scored nine goals, including four from Bittell, to Ashland's zero to take a dominant 13-3 lead into the fourth quarter. The 'Cats outshot the Eagles 13-4, Esposito made three saves, and the 'Cats scooped seven ground balls to four.

The 'Cats took their 13-3 advantage into the final frame and scored two more goals before the Eagles could respond, giving the 'Cats a 12-0 run between the end of the second and start of the fourth, ending the game outscoring the Eagles 13-3 in the final 30 minutes. 

Up Next
The 'Cats return home for three straight matches to kick off the GLIAC slate of games, starting with Grand Valley State on Friday, April 5th at 5 PM.