LEXINGTON, Va. – Senior Katie Willis (Baltimore, Md./Notre Dame Prep) scored a career-high six goals and sophomore Courtney Patterson (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Hunterdon Central) grabbed 10 draw controls as top-ranked Gettysburg College turned in a dominant 18-5 victory over No. 10 Washington and Lee University in non-conference women's lacrosse action Saturday at Watt Field.
Gettysburg (4-0) rolled to its fourth consecutive double-figure win, including its third over a ranked foe. The Bullets featured five multiple-goal runs, including a decisive 8-0 streak in the second half. The Orange and Blue dominated the draw circle, winning 21-of-25 draw controls, including 13-of-14 in the second period.
Willis topped her personal-best scoring effort by a goal and crossed 100 career points. Sophomore Liza Barr (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) recorded a hat trick for the third consecutive outing, adding an assist for a season-high four points. Senior Maggie McClain (Wexford, Pa./Sewickley Academy), junior Steph Colson (Westminster, Md./McDonough School), and freshman Kerry McKeever (Stony Brook, N.Y./Ward Melville) each tallied two goals. Colson also posted four ground balls and six draw controls, while McKeever had an assist and three draws.
Patterson's draw control total was the best by a Bullet since Bridget Kenny '15 secured 11 against Catholic on April 16, 2014.
The Bullets established their intent to attack early with three shots on goal in the first minute. McKeever found Barr for the opening tally 59 seconds in. Patterson made it a 2-0 lead on a free-position goal less than four minutes into the game.
With the offense dominating possession of the ball, the defense more than held its own during the few early opportunities by Washington and Lee (2-4). The Bullets forced turnovers on the Generals' first three possessions and junior Bailey Pilder (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) recorded the first of her six saves at 22:31.
Jess Catelo broke through for a goal at 21:11 for the hosts, but the visitors came right back with the next three tallies, including back-to-back scores by Willis. After a second tally by Washington and Lee, the Bullets ran off the first half's final three goals to take an 8-2 lead at the break.
The two teams each scored a pair of goals in the first 12 minutes of the final stanza to maintain the six-goal margin. McKeever found her way to the cage at 17:23 and just 16 seconds later junior Maggie Welsh (Rye, N.Y./Holy Child) dished out an assist to Colson for another goal. Six different players would score over the next 13 minutes and Gettysburg would not lose a second-half draw until the final two minutes.
The Bullets fired off 37 shots with all but three on cage. Washington and Lee Hannah Wiltshire did her best to contain the damage with 16 saves.
Pilder picked up the win and played the entire first half, while sophomore Casey Cole (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) made a pair of stops in relief.
Gettysburg meets another top-10 and unbeaten foe for its next contest at No. 7 University of Mary Washington (7-0) on Thursday, March 15, at 4 p.m.