ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul women's lacrosse team (4-5, 1-0 GLIAC) clawed past the Cardinals of Saginaw Valley State (1-7, 0-2 GLIAC) 17-6 to earn their first GLIAC win of the season on Sunday afternoon inside the Concordia Dome.
The Golden Bears are now 3-0 all-time against the Cardinals and 2-0 at home, outscoring SVSU 55-11 in the three meetings.
Concordia notched a season-high 49 shots and 42 shots on goal, tying both program records that were set on Mar. 3, 2017 against Northern Michigan during the team's inaugural season.
Leading the high-powered attack for the Navy and Gold was the duo of Susie Monson and Shelby Marik who combined for nine goals and continue to rank first and second on the team in total goals this season.
The Golden Bears got off to a fast start, scoring back-to-back goals from freshman Alayna Roehl and junior Shelby Marik to take an early 2-0 lead.
Both teams traded turnovers and saw shot opportunities before Marik scored her first goal of the day to extend the CSP lead 3-0.
With just under one-minute left in the first quarter Monson found the net to end the quarter in favor of Concordia 4-0.
The Cardinals were not going to sit back and came out with a spark in the second quarter, scoring 32 seconds in to cut into the Golden Bears lead 4-1.
A failed clear attempt and turnover from SVSU gave Roehl a straight path to the net where she scored her second goal of the game, assisted by Sydney Smith to go up 5-1.
Marik added a pair of goals to extend the lead 7-1 before the Cardinals would quickly score a two-goal response to end the half 7-3 CSP.
The third quarter saw the Cardinals continue to fight back, but the Golden Bears would keep their foot on the pedal, outscoring Saginaw Valley 5-2 with goals from Hansen, Roehl, Lauren Barnacle and two more for Marik to end the quarter with a 12-5 lead.
The Navy and Gold clinched the win with a 5-1 run in the fourth quarter to ground the Cardinals and earn the 17-6 victory led by a trio of goals from Monson and a pair from Roehl and Erin Chartier.
Junior goalkeepers Marge Lucio and Erika Holm both saw action in today's contest, Lucio earning her sixth start of the season and making three saves to record her 100th career save in the Navy and Gold.
Holm came in to start the second half, making three saves to bring her season total to 28.
Hansen saw one of her best overall games of the season, tallying two goals, two assists, seven shots, five ground balls and one caused turnover to earn her seventh-straight game with a point.
Monson led the team with seven draw controls, bringing her season total to 48 and winning four crucial draws during the fourth quarter to keep the ball in the hands of the Golden Bears.
Marik continued her stellar freshman campaign, notching six points and bringing her season total to 25. She has now scored a point in every game this season.
As a team, the Golden Bears went a perfect 19-19 on clear attempts, their most successful clear attempts since last season against No. 22 Grand Valley State.
The Navy and Gold will return to action next weekend, facing the Panthers of Davenport on Friday in Grand Rapids, Mich. at 1 p.m. and the Lakers of Grand Valley State in Allendale, Mich. on Sunday at 11 a.m. for two GLIAC contests.
