Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. (Feb. 26, 2022) – The Whittier College women's lacrosse team is off to its first 2-0 start in program history thanks to a 17-5 road victory over California Lutheran University on Saturday afternoon.

First-year head coach Sara Allison has the Poets firing on all cylinders to open the 2022 season, having achieved something the program has never achieved previously. Prior to Wednesday's nailbiter win over Chapman University, the Poets' last win actually came at the expense of the Regals back in 2020, and Saturday's outing proved to be more of the same. The Poets jumped on the host Regals with eight goals in the first quarter and never looked back. Junior midfielder Chella Davidson (Portland, Ore.) opened scoring with a free-position goal two minutes into things, and classmates Payton Climer (Dallas, Texas) and Sam Nimmo (Pleasanton, Calif.) would go on to score twice to help provide the visitors a nice cushion they could ride until game's end.

From there, the Poets would tighten things up on both side of the ball, but particularly defensively where they held Cal Lutheran scoreless in the second period, enabling them to take a 10-plus goal lead they would never look back from. Whittier ultimately dominated possession and showed they could do the little things necessary to take and sustain a lead of Saturday's caliber. The Poets twice found themselves a woman up, and twice were able to convert on goals courtesy of Climer and freshman Isa Delgado-Rojas (Montebello, Calif.). Both Climer and Nimmo would go on to score four times each with Climer leading all players with 10 total shots. Sophomore goalie Haley Hughes-Gill (Shaker Heights, Ohio) had a relatively quiet afternoon of work, but stepped up when needed with four saves.

Allison and the Poets will look to move their winning streak to three when they travel to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, the SCIAC's only other unbeaten team, on Wednesday, Mar. 5 at 7 p.m.

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