NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Calvin University women's lacrosse team evened its conference record with a 20-8 road win at Saint Mary's College (Ind.) on Wednesday.
 
Calvin (6-10, 3-3 MIAA) took control from the start, as Meghan Chang (Clarksburg, Md./Clarksburg) scored twice in the first three minutes to give the Knights a 2-0 lead.
 
Saint Mary's (1-12, 0-6 MIAA) got on the board to cut the Calvin lead in half 71 seconds later, but the Knights closed the first quarter with four goals over the final 4:27 to take a 6-1 lead after one. Jacey Smith (Watertown, Wis./Watertown) scored the first two goals of the flurry, while Kelly Ruha (New Hope, Minn./Robbinsville Armstrong) and Anneliese Hanson (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) scored the final two.
 
The Belles scored two early tallies in the second quarter, but the Knights quickly answered with goals from Ruha and Smith, and then added four more goals late in the quarter to take a commanding 12-5 halftime edge.
 
Morgan Bethard (DeWitt, Mich./DeWitt) scored twice in the second quarter, while Ruha and Smith each added to their totals with one goal apiece in the stretch.
 
The Calvin offensive onslaught continued to open the third quarter, with Jessica Eenigenburg (Norton Shores, Mich./Western Michigan Christian) starting the scoring at the 12:06 mark, followed by two goals from Bethard and one from both Smith and Ruha to push the lead to 17-7 after three quarters.
 
The Knights added three more goals in the fourth quarter from Ruha, Eenigenburg and Alex Petrusha (Milford, Mich./Milford) to finish off the win.
 
Calvin finished the day with a 44-17 advantage in shots, including a 31-12 edge in shots on goal. Smith led the attack with 11 shots, followed by Ruha with 10.
 
The Knights also took advantage of their opportunities with seven free-position shot goals.
 
Ruah and Smith each finished with five goals in the game, while Bethard added four of her own. Eenigenburg and Chang both finished with two goals apiece.
 
Katie Winkle (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) finished with a team-best five ground balls, while Chang had eight draw controls. Margee Boelema (Hudsonville, Mich./Unity Christian) saved four shots in goal.
 
COACH'S COMMENT: "This was a really good game for us," Calvin head women's lacrosse coach Blake Boehm said. "The team came ready to play and fought for every possession. Defense played aggressive and the offense shot well." 
 
NEXT UP: Calvin women's lacrosse will close the regular season on Saturday, April 27, when it travels to Trine University for a game scheduled to start at 1:00 PM.