NEWARK, Del. -- Six players registered multi-goal games, Saturday, as the Kutztown University women's lacrosse team handled its first road game of the season with relative ease, downing Wilmington (Del.), 19-8, at the WU Sports Complex.
 
Emma Meakim (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) scored a game-high five goals, Lailah ElBouazzaoui (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan), Shannon Lake (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue-Medford) and Katie Yocum (Hanover, Pa./South Western) each had hat tricks, and Sam Graf (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) and Sammy Ruwet (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional) scored two goals apiece to pace the KU offense.
 
The Golden Bears (2-0) never trailed in the contest, attacking early and often. Lake scored on a man-up free position attempt 35 seconds in and Ruwet followed with an unassisted marker 28 seconds later for a quick 2-0 lead.
 
Graf added to Kutztown's advantage with her fifth goal of the season at the 12:12 mark to make it 3-0.
 
Kutztown led 6-3 after the first and the second half played out the same way on the scoreboard with the Bears heading to the half up 12-6. Meakim scored three consecutive goals for the Maroon and Gold, while Lake, Kayla Brooks (Mountville, Pa./Hempfield) (man-down) and Yocum also found the back of the net.
 
The gap continued to widen in favor of the guests behind a pair of third quarter goals from ElBouazzaoui, one from Ruwet (man-up) and Lake's third of the afternoon. Between Brooks' goal with 2:32 remaining in the first half and Meakim's fifth goal at 4:52 of the fourth, Kutztown outscored the Wildcats (4-2) 9-1.
 
The Maroon and Gold controlled possession for much of the game as Wilmington turned it over 26 times. That led to a whopping 44 shots for the Bears, their most in more than three years going back to a 49-shot game against Caldwell Feb. 26, 2020. Thirty of those shots found their way on goal. KU was also perfect on all 18 of its clearing attempts, the first time its done that since April 13, 2019, against Lock Haven --a span of 48 games.
 
Kutztown did well to limit its own miscues with just 13 turnovers. The Bears picked up 18 ground balls to seven for the Wildcats and held a slight edge in draw controls, 16-15. Robin Spector (Northfield, N.J./Mainland Regional) collected six ground balls and caused a pair of turnovers. Brooks and Cyrose Conteh (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) shared the team lead with six draw controls. Jenna Blesson (Sparta, N.J./Lenape Valley Regional) made six saves in goal over the first three quarters.
 
Meakim ended the day with six points (5g, 1a) and Lake had four (3g, 1a). Ella Royer led the Wildcats with five points on four goals and an assist.
 
Kutztown returns home to Keystone Field for the start of PSAC East play this coming Wednesday, March 8, at 4 p.m.
  Read Full Article