Rachel Mills
For the Review

It was a weekend of milestones for the Linfield women’s lacrosse team as it emerged from games against the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and the University of Dallas Crusaders on April 4 and 5 with one loss and one win bringing its season record to a 3-7 overall.
The weekend began well with a 15-5 sweep of the Crusaders April 4. Coach Tim Hart said that the score was pleasing, but even more so were the achievements of particular players.
“Both Jessica Petrovich and Chaia Schupack scored their first goals of the season on Saturday,” Hart said.
Senior midfielder Petrovich’s shot made it into the net six minutes before the end of the game against the Crusaders, putting Linfield ahead by 10 points. Sophomore defender Chaia Schupack finished the game with two minutes remaining when she received a pass from senior midfielder Martha Inouye and sent the ball flying over the Crusaders keeper’s shoulder into the net.
Hart said he saw commendable performances from other players April 5.
“[Freshman midfielder] Erika Helm-Buckman did a great job stepping up and playing a new position, center midfield, for the first time,” Hart said. “And though this is freshman defender Laura Ekstrom’s first year as a lacrosse player, she was on the field for more than half of the game against CMS and played solidly.”
Another surprise highlight came from junior Ashley Johnson’s voluntary time as goalkeeper.
Johnson emerged from the game with a new record for the number of saves in a single game.
Before April 5, the Linfield a women’s lacrosse record was 22 saves. Johnson handled 25.
“She had a heck of a game,” Hart said.
On the other end of the field, senior attacker Sammy Smith also had a great game. She scored her 13th goal of the season.
“This is the fourth time in Smith’s career that she has scored over thirty goals in a season,” Hart said.
Team captain senior midfielder Michelle Dorris said both games went well overall despite the difference in scores. She said the team has gained experience in every game and slowly improved against both the Crusaders and the Athenas.
“The wins that we’ve gotten this season helped us be more positive about the season as well as give us some confidence, but I think the experience was the primary factor for our improvement,” Dorris said.
Hart said that the team has come a long way during the season. It proved it April 4 with its victory against the Crusaders.
“They controlled the game from the first whistle,” said Hart. “It was a great game throughout.”
The game ended a 15-5, win for Linfield. Seven Linfield players sent the ball sailing into the net, and the score comprises three goals from each Smith, sophomore attacker Tarie Caouette and freshman midfielder Anna Gorciak, two from Dorris and Johnson, as well as goals from Petrovich and Chupack.
Crusaders senior midfielder Becca Harris and sophomore attacker Christine McFarland rounded off the game with two and three goals, respectively.
Hart said that the CMS Athenas buried Linfield in the first half On April 5, but the ’Cats stepped it up in the second half and kept the scoring competitive.
“CMS is an extremely good team,” said Dorris. “We just went into that game trying to play as well as we are able, and I think we accomplished that.”
The team ended the game 22-7, a loss with goals from Smith, Dorris, Gorciak, and freshman midfielder Taylor Fisher. Information about the Athena’s goals was not available.
With one week left in the season, Hart intends to win both of the team’s final games against rivals Pacific University and University of Puget Sound.
“We played competitively against both teams before,” Hart said. “And this is one of the best overall lacrosse teams Linfield has had in a long time. If anyone can pull this off, they can.”