Women's Lacrosse Falls to Culver-Stockton in Home Opener

Marshall, Mo., (Feb. 22, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College women's lacrosse team opened its 2025 season at home hosting Culver-Stockton (Mo.) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference match Saturday afternoon inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium. The Vikings fell in the season-opener, 20-10.

The game started with Culver-Stockton scoring the opening goal three minutes into the game. Missouri Valley answered back a minute later as Freshman Ashley Halter (Alcoa, Tenn.) scored the first goal for the Vikings to tie the game at 1-1. The Wildcats added another goal to take the lead, and then started to pull away from there as they scored six-straight goals to hold an 8-1 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Play in the second quarter started with a goal from Sophomore Hailey Davis (Maryville, Tenn.), but the Wildcats got one of those goals back shortly after the draw control. Missouri Valley responded as Davis added another goal for the Vikings two minutes into the quarter and then near the six-minute mark Senior Alexis Lark (Alma, Mo.) assisted Halter to cut the deficit down to 9-4. MVC pressured late in the quarter as Halter put a free position shot into the net and Sophomore Rose Szymanski (Southampton, England) scored to shrink the gap to 10-6 going into halftime.

The third quarter featured the majority of possession owned by Culver-Stockton, as two goals were scored to widen the gap out to 12-6. Halter added another goal near the 10-minute mark, and was followed nearly two minutes later by a goal from Davis to make it a 12-8 score. Teams traded possession over the next stretch of play and with four minutes left in the quarter the Wildcats added another goal to extend their lead. MVC responded with a quick goal from Halter after the draw control to sit in a 13-9 deficit, but CSC had a series of goals to put the contest out of reach heading into the third quarter at 15-9.

Quickly after the restart to begin the fourth quarter, Culver-Stockton added to its lead, scoring another goal to hold a 16-9 advantage. The two teams traded possession over the next five minutes of play, which included a goal from Szymanski assisted by Sophomore Miranda Wilson (Twin Falls, Idaho), but Missouri Valley was unable to work back into the game as the Wildcats scored another four goals in the final minutes of the contest. The Vikings fell by a final score of 20-10.

Leading the team was Halter with five goals, followed by H. Davis with three goals and one assist, and Szymanski scored two goals. The Vikings forced 20 turnovers, and came up with 28 ground balls.

The loss drops Missouri Valley to 0-1 in the Heart, while Culver-Stockton improves to 0-1 in the conference.

Up next, the women's lacrosse team will travel to Conway, Ark., for a non-conference game against Hendrix (Ark.), on Mar. 6 at 6 p.m.

Box Score - Click Here

About Missouri Valley College

Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.