ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern Women's Lacrosse team took to Reynolds Field for the final time on Wednesday night, and while their eyes may not have always been clear, they played with full hearts and certainly did not lose. The Eagles steadily increased their lead in each of the first three quarters and got a pair of hat tricks en route to a 12-10 win over the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point under the lights in St. Paul.
Northwestern quickly found itself in an early hole, as UWSP scored twice in the opening 1:28.
Cara Smith (Watertown, Wis./Watertown) steadied the ship two minutes later; however, scoring off an assist from
Abby Scheel (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area). Two minutes after that,
Emma Ruegemer (Cold Spring, Minn./Eden Valley-Watkins) tied the game at two, courtesy of a
Lauren Paar (Centerville, Minn./Centennial) assist. Scheel found the back of the net herself with 41 seconds remaining in the opening quarter, giving UNW a 3-2 advantage with 15 minutes complete.
Much like the first period, the Pointers scored quickly to open the second.
Maddie Hauer (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West) answered just 31 seconds later, though, to put Northwestern back in front, 4-3. The teams continued to trade goals, as Stevens Point scored at the 7:32 mark, and Scheel once again found Smith for a score with 5:47 left. The assist was Scheel's 27
th of the season, which tied the single-season program record set by Talia Sherry in 2019. Hauer matched Smith with her second goal at the 1:18 mark, and UNW went into the locker room with a 6-4 lead.
The third quarter began and, you guessed it, UW-Stevens Point scored first for the third consecutive quarter. But just like each time before, Northwestern refused to let its opponent sustain any momentum.
Annika Dykstra (New Brighton, Minn./Avail Academy) launched a deep pass downfield to Ruegemer, who spun around a defender and scored with 8:30 left to make it 7-5. Snyder and Smith then both scored in the next 2:15 to extend the lead to 9-5. Smith's goal was her third of the game and was once again assisted by Scheel, which meant the senior now stands alone as the single-season assist queen. The Pointers closed out the quarter with one more goal, which meant Northwestern out-scored UWSP 3-2 in each of the first three quarters as it took a 9-6 lead into the fourth.
UNW began the fourth quarter strong. Hauer scored off a pass from Ruegemer to cap off her hat trick, then
Ainsley Thompson (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) caged one a minute later to give Northwestern its largest lead at 11-6. Stevens Point cut the deficit to four with 8:30 left, but Snyder scored her second goal of the night with 6:53 remaining to push the lead back to five at 12-7. UWSP gave the Eagle faithful a scare with three goals in the final 3:11, but it wasn't enough as UNW prevailed, 12-10 in its final game at Reynolds Field.
Smith and Hauer both had strong nights on both sides of the ball, each scoring three goals and causing two turnovers. Smith added six draw controls and five ground balls, while Hauer logged three ground balls of her own. Snyder finished with two goals, three draw controls and three ground balls, while Ruegemer tallied two goals and an assist. Scheel's three assists were complemented by her one goal and two caused turnovers. Thompson added one goal and caused two turnovers as well. Dykstra and Paar each dished out one assist, with the latter adding three draw controls and a pair of caused turnovers. What
Maren Reu (Sioux Falls, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian) did defensively was borderline felonious, as the senior racked up an astounding six caused turnovers and three ground balls.
Gabrielle Milroy (Superior, Wis./Lakeview Christian Academy) also collected three ground balls and
Daisy Koffler (Pine City, Minn./Pine City) five, in addition to a terrific night in cage with 14 jaw-dropping saves. Koffler (re)joins Scheel in the UNW record books, breaking her own (shared) program record for single-season saves of 121, set last season.
Although Wednesday night was its final home game, the job is not finished for the UNW Women's Lacrosse team. The Eagles are still alive in the race for the Midwest Lacrosse Conference Tournament and are in control of their own destiny. If they win at Hamline on Saturday, they are in the tournament. If they lose, their season is done. What we do know is that Saturday will be an exhilarating game between the two Snelling Avenue schools, and the fun will begin at 1:00 PM.
