Lacrosse sets up successful seasons

CRADLING — Abigale Cassella (’16) cradles the ball, looking towards the goal, preparing to put herself on the board.

The women of Hope College returned to play on the lacrosse fields of battle on April 6, after an extended leave of absence. Their previous game was a loss to Worcester St. University in Santa Barbara over spring break on March 23. That was also the last loss they’ve suffered. Since then, they’ve taken place in two battles, taking on both Alma College on April 6 and Adrian College on April 9. These wins knocked their season record up to 3-3, while landing them undefeated in the MIAA conference this season so far at 2-0.

Both of these games ended with wins for the Flying Dutch and both of the games held the same score. The women of Hope defeated their opponents 14-11. Against Alma, Hope was led by Hannah VanAlst (’19) who put up six goals for the team. Six other members of the team added up the other eight goals to edge out the Scots. Goalie Alexandria Watts (’17) tallied up her first win of the season after recording five saves in the first half.

Against Adrian, a trio of scorers stepped up for Hope, putting up 13 points among the three of them. Abigale Cassella (’16) put up a career-high five goals, catapulting her to nine goals this season. Emily Deane (’18) was the second of the big three, adding in a career-high four goals. The third part of the trifecta, VanAlst, added in another four goals, giving her a total of 10 over the past two games, launching her to a total of 16 goals this season. The final goal for the Dutch was scored by Madeline Shupe (’19). Watts put up another eight saves, winning her second game of the season. The girls return to action on April 20.

The Flying Dutchmen of Hope also haven’t played since March 26, the game that marked their school-record sixth straight win. Six wins after three straight season opening losses bring the Flying Dutchmen to a 6-3 record. The men have already set multiple goals this season, including the aforementioned most consecutive wins, as well as notching up the records for fewest goals allowed in their shutout win against Defiance College, and the most points scored in a half and most points scored in a quarter.