Eagles Fly Over Garnet
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Freshman Grace Griffith scored four goals, leading the Eastern University Eagles women's lacrosse team to a 14-4 win over Swarthmore at a chilly Clothier Field.
Griffith (Amherst, Mass. / Amherst Regional) knifed through the Swarthmore (4-7) defense for two unassisted goals in the first four minutes. The Eagles (5-3) added a third goal before sophomore Alex Gilbert-Bono (Wellesley, Mass. / St. Mark's) got the Garnet on the board with 19:12 on the clock. Eastern held the Garnet scoreless for the rest of the half and added four goals, including Griffith’s third, to open up a 7-1 lead at the break.
Once again, Griffith opened the scoring with a quick goal, this time extending the Eastern lead to 8-1. Garnet senior Megan Sanborn (Lewiston, N.Y. / Nichols School) responded with an unassisted goal with 25:45 left, and after an Eagle score, Swarthmore junior attack Marissa Schaffer (Moreland Hill, Ohio / Laurel School) scored back-to-back goals just 1:40 apart. Schaffer’s second goal came after carrying the ball across the entire offensive half of the field.
This cut the margin to five at 9-4 with 15:56 to play, but the Eagles kept the Garnet offense in check for the rest of the night. Junior Katie Choquette (Greenville, R.I. / LaSalle Academy) added two goals as the Eagles scored five times on their way to the 14-4 final margin.
Choquette enjoyed a five-point game, adding two assists to a hat trick. Junior Erin Fries (Lancaster, Pa. / Hempfield High) also notched a hat trick for the visitors. Netminder Kimberly Campbell (Malvern, Pa. / Great Valley) led the Eastern defensive effort with 11 saves and 10 ground balls. The Eagles led the Garnet in shots (41-25) and ground balls (34-26).
Schaffer's two goals move the junior into a tie for second place on the team in points (18) and into third place in goals (16).
Sanborn disrupted the Eastern attack all evening long, causing five turnovers and picking up five ground balls. Garnet senior goalkeeper Susannah Blair (Princeton, N.J. / Princeton Day) made 10 saves and scooped up a team-high seven ground balls. Blair (3.82) and Sanborn (3.64) remain 1-2 in the Centennial Conference in ground balls per game.
Swarthmore will look to get back on track as they return to Centennial Conference action on Saturday, April 5th in Westminster, Md. against McDaniel. Game time is 12:00 p.m.
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