Women's Lacrosse Drops Close Game to Anderson

Conway, Ark., (March 7, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College women's lacrosse team was in Conway, Ark., for a non-conference game with NCAA Division III Anderson (Ind.), Friday afternoon.  The Vikings played close but fell by a final score of 12-9.

The game opened with Anderson going in front with just over one minute played in the contest, 1-0.  Missouri Valley tested the Anderson keeper with a pair of shots on goal over the next stretch of play, from Freshman Midfielder Ava Graham (Pearland, Texas) and Sophomore Attacker Hailey Davis (Maryville, Tenn.), but both shots were waved.  Anderson responded, and added another pair of goals midway through the quarter to sit on top, 3-0.  Graham earned a free-position chance near the six-minute mark, but MVC could not break onto the scoreboard.  Freshman Goalkeeper Audrey Connolly (Houston, Texas) made a save just over one minute later, and Anderson tacked on another goal with just over four minutes to play in the quarter to make it a 4-0 score.  

Anderson continued to increase its lead early in the second quarter, eventually holding a 7-0 advantage.  The first goal of the game for the Vikings came at the eight-minute mark, from Freshman Midfielder Tiyanna Thomas (Hampton, Ga.) followed quickly after the ensuing faceoff by a goal from Freshman Defender Perla Baker (Louisville, Tenn.), off an assist from Graham.  Anderson countered with two-straight points through the two-minute mark.  Missouri Valley had a number of chances in the final stretch of play, as shots from Graham and Thomas were saved, while an attempt from Junior Attacker Hailey Harmon (Bonne Terre, Mo.) hit off the post.  The Vikings went into halftime trailing, 12-9.

Play in the third quarter began with an early goal scored by Anderson, just over one minute after the restart, to make it a 10-2 contest.  Missouri Valley began to work back into the game from there, as Graham scored, and Davis added a free-position goal to cut the deficit down to 10-4 just past the midway point of the quarter.  Baker tacked on another goal to put the gap at 10-5 with just over four minutes remaining in the third.  Anderson ended the MVC run with a goal just past the three-minute mark, then forced Connolly into a pair of saves in the closing moments of the quarter to keep it an 11-5 score.

The two teams traded possession at the start of the fourth quarter until Sophomore Attacker Atleigh Lark (Alma, Mo.) set up Graham with a goal just over three minutes into play.  Davis followed with another goal near the nine-minute mark, and MVC sat in an 11-7 deficit.  Anderson came through with a goal nearly three minutes later, but Davis answered with a goal quickly after the ensuing faceoff, and Sophomore Defender Rose Szymanski (Southampton, England) added a late goal, coming from another Lark assist with just over one minute to play.  Missouri Valley was unable to keep the scoring streak going at the end of the game, and fell by a final score of 12-9.

Davis led with three goals, while Graham added two goals and two assists.  Baker had two goals and three groundballs while both Szymanski and Thomas each added one goal.  Connolly made 15 saves in goal.  Missouri Valley came up with 15 groundballs and caused 17 turnovers.

The loss drops Missouri Valley to 0-3 on the season, while Anderson improves to 1-2.

Up next, the women's lacrosse team will host No.5 Benedictine (Kan.), Monday at 4 p.m., inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium.

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.