ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern women's lacrosse team opened their 2020 season at home, taking on Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference (MWLC) opponent Benedictine University. Saturday afternoon's matchup was only the second time these two teams have crossed paths. As Northwestern worked hard and rallied off scores they did make, they were unable to defeat the Benedictine Eagles and fell 14-6.

UNW falls to 0-1 on the season and 0-1 in the MWLC, while Benedictine gains their first win of the season to become 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the MWLC.
 
Benedictine was able to jump to an early 6-0 lead before Northwestern was able to get on the board. Talia Sherry (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) scored back-to-back goals for the Eagles to bring the score to 6-2 Benedictine with just over seven minutes left in the first half.
Talia Gruthusen (Dryer, Ind./Lake Central) would score her first collegiate goal with five minutes left in the first before another Benedictine score. Danielle Eury (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) added to the Northwestern scoring to finish out the half, 8-4.
 
The second half began right away for Benedictine as they came out and scored two fast goals on the Eagles. Maddie Nimmo (Somerset, Wis./Hill-Murray) would score for Northwestern (her first collegiate score) off of an assist from Kirsten Olson (Big Lake, Minn./Spectrum). The teams would trade off scoring twice more.
Danielle Eury (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) scored her second of the game to bring Northwestern's total to six. UNW fell in their opening match 14-6.
 
Talia Sherry (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) (2 goals, 3 ground balls) and Danielle Eury (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) (2 goals, 7 shots) led the scoring efforts for the Eagles, each tallying two points. Talia Gruthusen (Dryer, Ind./Lake Central) also had a strong start to her UNW career with one goal in her first contest in purple and gold.
 
Northwestern will travel to Loras College in another conference matchup on Thursday, March 5, with draw time set for 6:00 p.m. For all things women's lacrosse, fans can follow @unwwlax on Twitter and Instagram and visit www.unweagles.com.