Women's Lacrosse Pulls Away From Eastern Oregon at Home

Marshall, Mo., (March 27, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's lacrosse teams played a home doubleheader Thursday evening inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium.  The women's team overcame a halftime deficit to pull away from Eastern Oregon in a 14-10 win.  The men's team fell to Clarke (Iowa) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference contest.

Missouri Valley got out in front early in the women's game, controlling the opening draw, and scoring moments later.  Freshman Midfielder Ashley Halter (Alcoa, Tenn.) set up Freshman Midfielder Tiyanna Thomas (Hampton, Ga.) with a goal to put the Vikings on top.  The two teams traded possession over the next stretch of play, until the midway point of the quarter.  That's when Eastern Oregon tied the contest at 1-1, with its first goal of the game.  Just over two minutes later, EOU took its first lead of the game, scoring to move ahead, 2-1.  Missouri Valley answered back, after a save from Freshman Goalkeeper Audrey Connolly (Houston, Texas) near the four-minute mark.  Freshman Midfielder Ava Graham (Pearland, Texas) set up Thomas with another goal, with just over three minutes to play in the quarter, then Halter controlled the ensuing draw, and put MVC in front, 3-2.  Graham caused a turnover following the draw, which eventually led to a goal from Halter late in the quarter to make it a 4-2 score going into the second quarter of play.

The Vikings put pressure on EOU in the first few minutes of the second quarter, forcing the keeper into three saves.  However, Eastern Oregon worked back, and cut its deficit to 4-3 with a goal less than three minutes into the quarter.  Less than one minute after the restart, Sophomore Attack Hailey Davis (Maryville, Tenn.) picked up a ground ball, and set up Graham with a goal.  The Vikings added to their lead at the 10-minute mark, as Sophomore Attack Rose Szymanski (Southampton, England) set up Sophomore Attack Kathryn Bonning (Southampton, England) in front of goal, and Bonning scored to put the advantage at 6-3.  The rest of the quarter was led by EOU, scoring four-straight goals in the final 10 minutes of play to move in front at halftime, 7-6.

Play in the third quarter began with Eastern Oregon getting off the first quality chance, forcing Connolly into a save with nearly two minutes off the clock.  Two minutes later, MVC tied the contest at 7-7, as Graham assisted on a goal from Freshman Midfielder Ainsley Miller (Maryville, Tenn.).  The Vikings added another in the following minute of play, as Thomas scored again to put the team back in front, 8-7.  The scoring streak continued through the next several minutes, featuring a goal from Graham, off an assist by Szymanksi, near the seven-minute mark, while Davis added another goal, assisted by Sophomore Attacker Atleigh Lark (Alma, Mo.), to stretch the advantage out to 10-7 with less than five minutes to play in the quarter.  Eastern Oregon ended the quarter with offensive production, as Connolly had to come up with two saves.  However, EOU cut the gap to 10-8, in the final moments of the third quarter.

The two teams traded goals at the start of the fourth quarter, featuring one goal from Thomas, as the score sat at 11-9.  Quickly after an Eastern Oregon goal, the Vikings gained possession, and Graham extended the lead to 12-9 at the 13-minute mark.  Missouri Valley pulled away from there, as Davis scored just over three minutes later, and Szymanski added one more goal with six minutes remaining.  Eastern Oregon tacked on one late goal, while Connolly made two saves after the midway point of the quarter.  The Vikings ran out the final minutes of play to secure a 14-10 win.

Thomas led with four goals, while Graham had three goals and four assists.  Davis totaled two goals and two assist, and Halter added two goals and one assist.  Szymanski had one goal and two assists.  Connolly made 16 saves in goal, and Senior Goalkeeper Melissa Sandoval (Weiser, Idaho) had two saves.  Missouri Valley led 23-5in draw controls, forced 23 turnovers, collected 25 ground balls, and was 17-18 on clear attempts.

The win moves Missouri Valley to 3-7 on the season, while Eastern Oregon drops to 0-9.

Up next, the Viking lacrosse teams travel to Fremont, Neb., Saturday for a Heart doubleheader with Midland (Neb.).  Women's game at 1 p.m., followed by the men's game at 4 p.m.

Box Score-Click Here

About Missouri Valley College

Standing out as one of the most innovative and student-focused liberal arts colleges in the Midwest, Missouri Valley College (MVC) is committed to preparing students for success beyond the classroom. Through the Viking Voyage program, MVC prioritizes career readiness from day one, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel after graduation. Each of MVC's 30+ in-demand majors—including nursing, business, cybersecurity, computer science, criminal justice, and exercise science—integrates personal instruction, experiential learning, and professional opportunities to prepare graduates to thrive in a rapidly changing and globally connected world. At Missouri Valley College, higher education is more than earning a degree—it's a transformative journey that begins with the end.