GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Calvin University women's lacrosse team used a dominant second quarter to take down Aurora University in an 11-8 win on Thursday at Zuidema Field.
 
Calvin (2-1) fell behind early as Aurora (1-4) scored twice in the opening three minutes, but Audrey Booher (Fishers, Ind./Heritage Christian) pulled the Knights within one after one quarter with a goal at the 9:01 mark.
 
The second quarter belonged the Knights as they outscored the Spartans 7-1 in the period on the way to taking an 8-3 lead into halftime. Booher added two more goals in the second period to give herself a first-half hat trick. Jacey Smith (Watertown, Wis./Watertown) also scored twice in the period while Morgan Bethard (DeWitt, Mich./DeWitt), Riley Cornwell (Fishers, Ind./Heritage Christian) and Ainsley Gothard (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) each scored once to help the Knights to the five-goal halftime lead.
 
Calvin continued to control play in the third quarter and extended its lead to 10-4 thanks to goals from Bethard and Booher, but the Spartans weren't done fighting in spite of their six-goal deficit after three quarters.
 
Aurora opened the fourth quarter with four straight goals to cut the Calvin lead to 10-8 with 4:10 remaining, but the Knights were able to hold off the come back attempt with the help of one final insurance goal from Meghan Chang (Clarksburg, Md./Clarksburg) with 2:17 on the clock to secure the win.
 
Calvin finished the day with a 30-19 advantage in shots, including a 25-14 edge in shots on goal. The Calvin defense also did a good job of forcing 25 turnovers and holding the Spartans to just 5-18 on clear attempts.
 
Booher led Calvin with four goals, while Smith and Bethard each chipped in two goals. Booher also added two assists to finish the day with six total points.
 
Hannah Rizzo (Waterville, Ohio/Anthony Wayne) made six saves in goal and also recorded six ground balls to lead Calvin. Alex Petrusha (Milford, Mich./Milford) caused five turnovers and finished with four ground balls.
 
COACH'S COMMENT: "I'm proud of the team's effort today," Calvin head women's lacrosse coach Blake Boehm said. "They stuck to the game plan and found their rhythm early. Our defense did a great job with their matchups and were quick to initiate clears. The offense did a great job re-defending, which translated into several extra possessions for us. There are several aspects we're still working on and we're excited to refine things over spring break."
 
NEXT UP: Calvin women's lacrosse will return to action on Monday, March 10, when it plays Berry College in an event hosted by Southwestern University. That game is scheduled to start at 11:00 (CT).