Eagles Takedown Gophers for First-Ever Landmark Conference Victory
HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata women's lacrosse team dominated visiting Goucher on their way to their first-ever conference win, 19-6, Saturday afternoon in an odd combination of a sunny hailstorm at Gibbel Stadium.
Grace Gibbs (Arnold, Md. / Broadneck) totaled eight goals, two ground balls, and two caused turnovers, Peyton Goodrich (Reading, Pa. / Berks Catholic) amassed four goals and two assists to go with two ground balls and a caused turnover while Michaela Naccarini (Westminster, Md. / Winters Mill) added a goal and four assists. Talia Bertrando (Lititz, Pa. / Warwick), Kyndall Yeager (Westminister, Md. / South Carroll)and Kelliann Drummond (Lancaster, Pa. / Lampeter-Strasburg) each tallied a goal and an assist apiece. Isabella Michener (Randolph, N.J. / Randolph) tallied two goals, a ground ball, and two caused turnovers, Shayla Lapp (Lancaster, Pa. / Lampeter-Strasburg) a goal and a ground ball, while Megan McConnel (Saint Leonard, Md. / Calvert) chipped in with an assist, three ground balls, and a caused turnover. Maeve Kuser (Upperco, Md. / Hereford) and Andrea Insalaco (Woodlyn, Pa. / Ridley) had four ground balls and three caused turnovers each while Chloe Gerhard (Macungie, Pa. / Emmaus) got the win in goal for the Eagles while making two saves.
Goodrich got the Eagles on the front foot with two straight goals before Naccarini found Gibbs cutting to the net to make it 3-0 JC in the opening four minutes. The Gophers got one back, but the Eagles managed three more through Gibbs, Bertrando, and another Goodrich goal to lead 6-1 after the first.
In the second, Yeager found the back of the net off a nice feed from Goodrich 19 seconds in. The Gophers got one back to make it 7-2. With a little under nine minutes to go, Naccarini took over the next six minutes as she assisted goals by Gibbs and Lapp 22 seconds apart. Gibbs scored unassisted before Naccarini found the back of the net herself to make it 11-2. The visitors managed to score twice to cut the JC lead to seven at the halftime break.
The Eagles hit the 10-goal running clock mark on a Gibbs goal off an assist by Goodrich with 46 seconds to go in the third, Gibbs fourth goal of the quarter, and the Eagles cruised the rest of the way to their first-ever Landmark Conference win.
Gibbs eight goals ties the program-record for goals in a single game, which Bertrando has done two separate times.
Michaela Naccarini for Juniata's 11th goal of the game! #wingsup #goeagles #takingflight pic.twitter.com/gcWJhwpGeJ
— Juniata Athletics (@JuniataEagles) March 26, 2022
Michener makes another goal for JC! Juniata Womens Lax wins 18-6. #wingsup #takingflight #goeagles pic.twitter.com/k3098NuYfR
— Juniata Athletics (@JuniataEagles) March 26, 2022
The Eagles will take their program-record eight-game win streak on the road Wednesday to Lancaster Bible. Game time 4:00.
