EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - Today the Calvin women's lacrosse team kicked off its 2026 season when it traveled to take on the Blugolds of Wis.-Eau Claire. After a tight first half the Knights took control in the second half as they rolled to a commanding 17-6 victory.
 
Calvin drew first blood when junior Megan Gibbs (Perrysburg, Oh./Perrysburg) netted her first goal as a Knight just four minutes into the game. The Blugolds responded quickly with two goals of their own before sophomore Delaney Johnson (Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake) found the back of the net to even the score at 2-2. With just under three minutes left in the period, the Knights took advantage of a free-position opportunity when junior Jessica Eenigenburg (Norton Shores, Mich./Western Michigan Christian) slipped the ball past the Eau Claire goalkeeper and gave Calvin the lead.
 
The second period was a high scoring affair for both teams as senior Jacey Smith (Watertown, Wis./Watertown) and sophomore Delaney Johnson (Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake) both got in on the scoring action while the Blugolds found the net three times themselves. Now, with the score tied at 5-5, senior Audrey Booher (Fishers, Ind./Heritage Christian) gave Calvin a boost when she scored just before the half and sent the Knights into the break with a one goal lead.
 
In the third period, the Knights showed absolute domination as they outscored Eau Claire 6-0 to take a commanding 12-5 lead. The Bulgolds tried to fight back when they opened the fourth period with a goal, however, Calvin answered back with five goals on the other end to pick up the 17-6 victory.
 
Booher, Smith, and Johnson all finished with three goals while Bethard and Gibbs each notched two. Sophomore Corinne Plumb (St. Louis, Mo./Westminster Christian Academy) led the team in ground balls and draw controls with four apiece while graduate student Dacey Redman (Delaware, Oh./Olentangy Berlin) had four forced turnovers. Junior goalkeeper Hannah Rizzo (Waterville, Ohio/Anthony Wayne) had a strong presence between the posts as she recorded 13 saves.

COACHES COMMENTS: "This was a good start for us," said head coach Blake Boehm. "Our offense was a little slow to connect, but our defense and Rizzo held strong in the first half. In the second half we capitalized on our power plays and started to pull away. This was a good early showing for us and we're excited to get back to work tomorrow!"
 
UP NEXT: The Knights will be back in action tomorrow Saturday, February 7th when they take on Wisconsin-Stout at 10 AM (CT).