Photo: Tony Leon/D3WestPhotography

WHITTIER, Calif. (Apr. 13, 2022) – The Whittier College women's lacrosse team dominated from pillar to post and ultimately scored 20 goals against California Lutheran University during Wednesday night's SCIAC game in Memorial Stadium.

The Poets got on the board in style, turning a failed clear from the Regals into a short-handed scoring opportunity. Junior attacker Georgia Bachiochi netted the goal on a pass from classmate Loren Sepulveda (Middleburg, Va. / Foxcroft), giving the Poets an early lead they would never relenquish. Sepulveda would go on the score the ensuing goal, plus one more time to give Whittier a 6-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter would represent more of the same for the Poets, as they hit running clock territory at the 10-minute mark when Sepulveda notched her third goal of the game on a pass from classmate Chella Davidson (Portland, Ore. / St. Mary's Academy). Junior Payton Climer (Dallas, Texas / Booker T Washington) went on to score the Poets' final goal of the half, and with that the home team took a 14-0 lead into the final 30 minutes.

Whittier would hold Cal Lutheran off the scoreboard for another nine minutes before the Regals finally hit paydirt, but the Poets still went on to outscore the Regals 6-3 in the second half while playing reserves in addition to defensive players in attacking positions. Such was the case when junior Liz Witt (Carlsbad, Calif. / San Marcos) and senior Larkin McDermott (Centennial, Colo. / Cherokee Trail) scored their first goals of the season in the second and fourth periods respectively. McDermott's first goal came on a free-position shot, and with the senior captain having found a groove, she scored again less than a minute later after the Poets had a successful draw control. Whittier arguably did its best work on the defensive end, however, with the Regals being denied clears on five different occasions. Additionally, Climer and Sepulveda tied for the team lead with seven ground balls and Haley Hughes-Gill (Shaker Heights, Ohio / Shaker Heights) held up in net with six saves. Sepulveda finished among the leading Whittier point-getters (four goals, two assists) along with Bachiochi (three goals, two assists) and junior Sam Nimmo (Pleasanton, Calif. / Amador Valley) (four goals, one assist).

Head Coach Sara Allison and the Poets will be back in action on Saturday, Apr. 16 when they host first-place Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in the penultimate home game of the season at 11 a.m.

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