Box Score

DETROIT, Mich. – Senior Emily Handrahan (Lake Zurich HS, Hawthorn Woods, Ill.) had game highs of five goals and four assists Saturday as Coach Meredith Newman's Augustana lacrosse team opened the 2016 season with a 20-7 win over Albion at Country Day School. The host Britons—who finished 15-3 and reached the NCAA Division III Tournament a year ago—fell to 0-1 on the season.
 
Senior Kendall Maduro (Neuqua Valley HS, Naperville, Ill.) put the Vikings up 1-0 with a goal 42 seconds in, but Albion's Kadie Koolwich scored at 26:49 of the first half to knot things at 1-1. Senior Kaylee Nolan (Sandburg HS, Orland Park, Ill.) gave Augustana the lead for good, scoring off a Handrahan assist at the 24:12 mark.
 
Nolan's goal opened the flood gates, as the visitors put six scores on the board in a span of less than four minutes. Handrahan scored twice in the run.
 
Anne Hopkins (Mother McAuley HS, Chicago, Ill.) scored her second goal of the game at 15:30 of the first half and Handrahan added her third at 13:29. Freshman Carla Bennett (Marian Catholic HS, South Holland, Ill.) recorded her first collegiate goal with an assist from Hopkins and Augustana led 10-1 with nine minutes left in the half.
 
Albion scored three straight goals, but the Vikings responded by scoring four of the half's last five to lead 14-5 at intermission. Handrahan tallied her fourth goal of the game and assisted on scores by Nolan and Hopkins. Shelby Cosman's (Marian Catholic HS, St. John, Ind.) second goal of the day closed out the first half scoring.
 
The margin eventually reached 20-5 with 9:09 to play. Two Bennett goals wrapped up Augustana's scoring before Albion found the net twice in the final five minutes.
 
Handrahan's nine points equaled the seventh-highest single-game total in program history. Hopkins added four goals and a pair of assists. Nolan and senior Rebecca Pollard (Westfield HS, Carmel, Ind.) each added two goals to Bennett's three. Nolan contributed four draw controls and two caused turnovers as well. Sophomore Analia Fowler (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) went the first 42 minutes in goal and stopped five of 10 shots to pick up the win.
 
The Vikings finished with a 31-17 advantage in shots and committed 13 turnovers to 23 for the Britons. Albion led in ground balls (19-17) and draw controls (13-10).
 
Newman's bunch is back in action on Sunday, February 21, taking on Denison (11-7 in 2015) at Country Day, beginning at 1:00 p.m. EST. Augustana squeezed out an 11-10 win over the Big Red in Granville, Ohio last year.