ALBION, Mich. – The Albion College women's lacrosse team grabbed its first win of the season after defeating Carroll University (WI) on Saturday, Feb. 22 at Alumni Field. The Britons (1-1, 0-0) pulled away from the Pioneers (0-1, 0-0) in the final minutes to top their opponent, 16-14.

Sophomore Chrystelle Lopez was electric in the first half registering a hat-trick in less than 17 minutes of play. Senior Kate Mullins would join the scoring party netting two of her own in the first half. Juniors Abby Sheklow and Carly Schwarz also added to the offensive effort to construct a 9-5 advantage going into halftime.

The Pioneers stormed back, bringing the game to within a single score as Clara Jelacic score three goals in the opening ten minutes. Albion answered back as they put four-straight goals in the back of the net from three different players to provide some insurance. Down five goals, Caroll strung together a three-goal stretch near the end of the match to bring the Pios just a pair shy of a tie.

With 1:13 left in regulation, senior Darcy Muns scored an unassisted goal to lift their lead to 16-13. Trailing by three, Caroll University was able to muster one more goal before the final whistle resulting in a 16-14 final.

Lopez dominated on the afternoon earning six goals and one assist, wrangling in six groundballs in the process. Muns and Sheklow each notched a hat-trick for the Britons while Mullins finished with a pair. Senior goaltender Jenina Villabroza and sophomore goaltender Alexis Robinson each picked up three saves.

"We came out on top with the W, but today showed us that we have a lot of things that we need to work on both ends of the field," remarked Head Coach Laurie Merian. "These first two games we haven't been playing Albion women's lacrosse. This week at practice, we are going to focus on the basics and finding out who we want to be as a team."

The Britons won the groundball battle 41-to-25 and excelled in the clear going 23-of-27. The Purple and Gold were also defiant on free-position shots dialing in 6-of-11 while limiting the Pioneers to just 1-of-5.

The Albion College women's lacrosse team will head west on I-94 as they take on Concordia University Ann Arbor on Saturday, Feb. 29, at 4 p.m.

Get the latest information on the team by following @AlbionWLacrosse on Twitter and Instagram. General athletics news can also be found at GoBrits on Twitter, AlbionAthletics on Instagram and Albion College Athletics on Facebook.

Joe and Julie Serra have given a $5 million leadership gift to launch a fundraising initiative to make two dreams a reality at Albion College. The first is a newly expanded fitness and student activity facility at the site of the current Dow Recreation and Wellness Center. The second is a new or renovated competition facility for the volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball teams that currently call Kresge Gymnasium home.

The College is continuing to raise funds in support of both projects. To learn more, call 517/629-0446 or email advancement@albion.edu