ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern Women's Lacrosse team returned to the friendly confines of Reynolds Field Tuesday night, fresh off its first win of the 2024 season Saturday at Concordia Wisconsin. Not quite as friendly was the University if Wisconsin-River Falls offense. The Falcons raced out to a big lead and fought off a valiant UNW comeback attempt to ultimately win, 22-8.
If you blinked, you may have missed River Falls' first four goals, all scored in the first 3:48 of the first quarter. Northwestern got on the board thanks to an
Emma Snyder (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) goal, but UWRF tacked on six more in the opening 15 minutes and held a 10-1 advantage at the end of the first period.
The Falcons also scored the first two goals of the second period to extend their lead to 12-1, but Northwestern found some life.
Emma Ruegemer (Cold Spring, Minn./Eden Valley-Watkins) and
Ainsley Thompson (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) each scored goals to close out the half, both assisted by
Maddie Hauer (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West), to trim the halftime deficit to 12-3.
Hauer continued to dazzle as the second half began. The junior found Ruegemer again for her third assist of the night, then scored two goals of her own to electrify the impassioned crowd at Reynolds Field. With 6:33 remaining in the third quarter, UNW suddenly had all the momentum after scoring five consecutive goals and cutting UWRF's lead to 12-6.
The Falcons ended the run 20 seconds later, but Snyder once again found the back of the net to bring the deficit back to six with 4:26 left in the third. Unfortunately for the home team, the Falcons scored once more before the end of the third and twice to open up the fourth, giving them a 16-7 lead and all the momentum with 12:40 left. Northwestern tried to steal some of that momentum back as Ruegemer capped off a hat trick with her third goal of the night (assisted by newly-minted MLC Offensive Player of the Week
Cara Smith (Watertown, Wis./Watertown)), but River Falls added six more goals to pull away for a 22-8 win under the lights in St. Paul.
Ruegemer's hat trick was her first of the season and the second of her career. Snyder and Hauer each scored twice, with the latter contributing a trio of assists and two ground balls as well. Thompson scored once, while
Lauren Paar (Centerville, Minn./Centennial) had a team-high six draw controls.
Maren Reu (Sioux Falls, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian) led the way defensively with three caused turnovers and four ground balls. Smith and
Daisy Koffler (Pine City, Minn./Pine City) also snagged four ground balls, while
Reegan Duininck (Prinsburg, Minn./Central Minnesota Christian) added three. Koffler also made a game-high 17 saves in net.
It will be another quick turnaround for the Eagles as they head back on the road to face Midland University on Thursday, March 7th in Nebraska. It will be the fourth game in eight days for the squad, who will enter the game with a 1-2 record. Thursday's game is scheduled for 1:00 PM.
