Helena Enders

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster women's lacrosse team dropped its first game of the year, as Augustana (Ill.) College strung together three quick goals to close the first half with a 10-4 lead and went on to an 18-8 decision Thursday night at a wind-swept John P. Papp Stadium.

Wooster (7-1) had been one of the last six teams in NCAA Div. III with an undefeated record.

In the match-up of two teams with a combined record now of 15-2, the Fighting Scots scored the opening goal as Ellie Hudson-Heck ripped a shot into the netting just 42 seconds into the contest.

Augustana (8-1), which reached the Round of 16 of the NCAA Div. III Championships last season, answered with three scores in less than two minutes, with Emily Handrahan having a hand in all three.

Next, Hudson-Heck delivered an assist to Heather Szymanski for the game's fifth goal in less than five minutes of play.

The defenses started to settle in after that, as it was the Vikings holding a narrow 7-4 advantage as the clock ticked under four minutes in the first half. That's when the complexion of the game quickly changed, with the visitors scoring three times in as many shot attempts during a 1:52 time span to take a six-goal cushion into halftime.

Augustana built on that momentum early in the second half, but Wooster battled back to within 13-6 on a Helena Enders goal and had a couple of opportunities to narrow the deficit further, including a shot that glanced off the crossbar.

Instead, the Vikings pushed their lead out to 16-6, and 10 was also the final margin.

Hudson-Heck stood out for the Scots with two goals, two assists, three draw controls, and three caused turnovers, while Enders and Szymanski also connected on a pair of scores.

Augustana's Handrahan finished with eight points (3 goals, 5 assists). The key player of the game, though, was Kaylee Nolan, who gained possession of 17 draw controls – the second-highest total in Div. III this season.

Wooster faces another challenge on Saturday, as it returns to North Coast Athletic Conference action with a visit from Kenyon College (6-1, 0-1 NCAC). Note the game will be played on the grass at Carl Dale Field, starting at 1 p.m.