ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Indianapolis women's lacrosse team dominated the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears in its 2023 season opener by winning 18-1 on Saturday afternoon at the Concordia Dome.
 
Elaine Jones picks up her first win as the head coach of the UIndy women's lacrosse program. The Hounds have now won their last 18 games dating back to last season and extend their all-time series lead over CSP to 7-0.
 
Seven different players scored one or more goals this afternoon for UIndy. The duo of Olivia Bladon and Anna Ziemba produced four each while Quinn Malcolm and Joey Fowler notched three apiece. Christina Sato added two while Ella Fornek and Megan Dunn each had one. Dunn (five), Malcolm (three), and Sato (two) all chipped in some assists for the squad.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
A strong opening half of play that saw five different players score helped UIndy carry an 8-0 lead into the intermission. Bladon, Sato, and Malcolm all notched a pair of goals each. Notably, the Hounds produced 19 total shots (15 on goal) while CSP was held to only three total shots (two on goal) in the first half.
 
The Hounds netted another out of the half before CSP finally found the scoreboard at the 7:09 mark in the third quarter. As the final score shows, the Greyhounds would pile on nine unanswered goals to easily wrap things up.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
-Goalkeeper Audrey Moran picked up the win and notched three saves in net.
-UIndy finished with 34 total shots while CSP had just seven.
-The Hounds corralled 24 ground balls with Bladon having a team-leading five.
-Sato, Fowler, and Sage Da Silva each guided the team with two caused turnovers.
-Mekayla Montgomery won six draw controls while Kara Antonucci had four.

HOUND BYTES
Initial thoughts on the win from head coach Elaine Jones...
"This win was a great way to start the season! Opening on the road can be a challenge, but the team really responded at a high level. Although there are definitely areas in which we need to continue to improve, I was really proud of the team's effort in working together to win their first game."

Jones' thoughts on the balanced effort from her team in the contest...
"The defense was very solid and collectively did a great job limiting Concordia's looks on goal. For the offense, I was really pleased with the overall balance between scoring and assisting, and I liked that we had multiple contributors."

NEWCOMER SPOTLIGHT
Bladon's four goal and five ground ball game wasn't the only headlining act for a UIndy newcomer. Dunn produced a goal and a team-leading five assists, Fornek had a goal and a ground ball, Da Silva had three ground balls and two caused turnovers, and Caroline Krauch added a ground ball and caused turnover as well.
 
UP NEXT
The Hounds will have their first game of the season at Key Stadium next Saturday. The team is set to play Walsh at 12 p.m. ET.