GREENCASTLE, Ind. - The College of Wooster women's lacrosse team overcame a scoreless first quarter, but the comeback effort ultimately fell short as the Fighting Scots lost 17-14 to DePauw University in an North Coast Athletic Conference matchup inside Reavis Stadium.
Wooster (10-3, 2-2 NCAC) made some waves in the draw control department, despite losing the head-to-head battle, 20-15. Sophomore Lizzie Hardy collected four draw controls to surpass Hannah Shaw's single season effort from 2023 and move into the program top five list, now sitting at 80 for the season.
Meanwhile, fellow sophomore Sidney O'Rourke matched with four draw controls to firmly sit at 71 for the season and sixth on the single-season mark in program history. Finally, junior Kenzie Morris became the sixth Scot in program history with 175-plus career draw controls after nabbing a team-best five on the afternoon.
Offensively, sophomore Bella Woodbury led the way with a hat trick while senior Kenzie Smith, sophomore Brynne Snaguski and senior Ciara O'Connor each netted two goals apiece. Hardy spearheaded the defensive effort with team bests of four groundballs and three caused turnovers. Junior Lexi Sarne matched with three caused turnovers of her own.
DePauw (7-5, 2-2 NCAC) was primarily led by senior Graesen Campbell and junior Bridget Driscoll. Campbell had a performance of six goals and nine assists while Driscoll posted three goals and four assists.
The Scots were stymied in the first quarter, despite moving the ball well in the transition game but failing to put shots on goal. Once Snaguski got Wooster on the scoreboard early in the second period, the Scots battled and kept pace with the Tigers, remaining within striking distance.
Woodbury's free position goal helped Wooster get within three goals of the lead in the final seconds of the third quarter. However, DePauw had its answer before the horn sounded.
O'Connor brought the Scots back within three with 13:45 remaining but a 3-0 run for the Tigers started to put the game out of reach. The Scots rallied, scoring four of the remaining five goals but the scoreless first period proved to be too much to overcome.
First-year Audrey Richardson made the start in the cage and took the loss, only making three saves. Senior Lydia Hollis anchored the win for the Tigers with a game-high 11 saves.
The Scots had some statistical edges throughout the afternoon, leading in ground balls (14-10), turnovers (13 compared to 20) and clears (19-of-22 compared to 16-of-20). However, DePauw led the way in shots (33-29) and draw controls (20-15) to pace the offense.
Wooster hits the road for the final time to take on Ohio Wesleyan University on Wednesday inside Selby Stadium.