SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Centre women's lacrosse team (1-0) traveled up north on Saturday afternoon to kick off the 2022 spring season against the Wittenberg Tigers for a game on Edwards-Maurer Field. The Colonels had plenty to celebrate about in the contest, putting on a dominant 19-11 performance to garner their first win of the young season.
 
"I'm so proud of how well this team played together to kick off the 2022 season." emphasized head coach Monica Scott, "We were missing some key returning players, but that didn't discourage the rest of the group from giving their best effort. Seniors like McKenna Hulette and Lola Duff gave first-year student-athletes like Isa [Stumpf] and Haley [Rice] encouragement and confidence to make big plays for an earned win."

GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- The Gold and White starters went on a tear in the first quarter of action, putting 11 goals in the back of the net compared to Wittenberg's two. Out of those 11 scores, Centre opened up the game with four straight goals, a pair of those coming from freshman Isa Stumpf.
- McKenna Hulette took care of a large chunk of the Colonels' scoring in the first quarter, slamming five shots past the Tigers' goalkeeper in the first 15 minutes of action.
- Centre's offense took a much more controlled pace in the second quarter, but still outscored Wittenberg 5-2 in that portion of the contest. Lily Gahm was able to secure a pair of goals to end the half for Centre, helping push the 16-4 lead into the halfway point.
- Wittenberg was able to make a second-half push against the Colonels, but the stretch would be too-little-too-late. The Tigers outscored the Gold and White 7-3 in the final 30 minutes of action.
- Six of Centre's eight second-half goals came from either freshman or sophomores, including freshman Addie Lewis garnering her first career goal as a Colonel. 

"It felt great to start the season off with such force." senior Hulette praising her squad in the win, "I've been amazed by the way our team has worked hard in the offseason, and now we got to see it all come together on both sides of the field."

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Senior goalkeeper Lola Duff recorded 11 saves off of 20 shots faced, only allowing five Tiger goals in 39 minutes at the net. Duff's 11 saves are her most recorded in a win since the teams 16-14 over Frostburg in the 2019 season.
- Hulette's six goals ties a career-high for the senior, a mark set against Birmingham Southern in the 2019 season. The Memphis, Tenn. native only needed nine shots to reach that mark, one less than her performance from a couple season ago (10).
- Lewis' first career goal came alongside a team-high in ground balls, the freshman midfielder scooping four in the contest.
- The Colonels had four student-athletes earn a hat trick against the Tigers, two of them coming from freshman (Stumpf and Haley Rice).
- Centre's 30 shots on Saturday is the lowest amount needed to claim a victory since Feb. 23 last season against Transylvania (29 shots).
- Saturday's win against Wittenberg marks the first time since the 2017 spring season that the Gold and White have opened the season with a 1-0 record. 

NEXT UP
The Centre women's lacrosse team will look to create the first win streak of the season next week, traveling back to Ohio for their second of four-straight road contests to open the season. The Colonels will take on Baldwin Wallace in Berea, Ohio on Saturday, Feb. 19, the first draw control kicking off at 3 p.m.