By Corey Wheeler, '18

ALBION,Mich. –It was all smiles today for the Albion College women's lacrosse team in their first game at Sprankle-Sprandel Stadium this year against Illinois Wesleyan University. With Kadie Koolwick controlling the draw, Albion dominated and cruised to an 18-4 victory.

With a victory Albion continued its best-ever start, improving to 6-0 on the year.

 "Anytime you win consistently, you worry about your team becoming complacent," Albion head coach Shanta Loecker said. "You have to stay focused on your own team and your own specific game because on any day, any team can pull out a win."

Koolwick controlled the game not only with her draws but with her scoring, too. She scored five goals on the day, with two coming back-to-back to help Albion take a convincing 12-3 lead with 27 minutes left in the second half.

"Kadie consistently wins draws because of her ability to direct the ball in her favor," Loecker said. "She has been working with her teammates every day and keeps a 0-0 mentality, approaching each draw as a new one."

Mackenzie Novak scored six goals to go along with three assists to lead the Britons scoring attack. Ashley Glenn chipped in with four goals for the Britons, giving her a total of 26 for the season.

By controlling the draw, the Britons were able to control the offensive possession in large part due to their swarming defense. Forcing 21 turnovers, the Britons were able to get possession back anytime Illinois Wesleyan got on the offense.

Although the Britons dominated today, Loecker is always looking for areas to improve.

"Something we need to work on is shot selection and, more importantly, finishing when we get the opportunity to score," she said.

Albion's next match is March 29 at Allegheny College, where the Britons will try to remain undefeated.