No. 7 Slippery Rock University women’s lacrosse team kept their perfect season rolling Wednesday with a big 22–3 win over Wheeling University at Mihalik‑Thompson Stadium.
From the opening whistle, The Rock took full control. They outshot the Cardinals 12–1 in the first quarter and built a 10–0 lead before Wheeling could settle in. It was SRU’s second straight blowout after a 19–4 win at D’Youville last weekend. Across those two games, Slippery Rock has launched 88 total shots while holding opponents to just 20, outscoring them 41–7.
Wednesday’s performance was dominant across the board. SRU held a 41–10 edge in total shots, 36–8 in shots on goal, 20–8 in draw controls, and 25–15 in ground balls. The Rock was nearly flawless clearing the ball (11-of-12) and forced 17 of Wheeling’s 23 turnovers.
Offensively, Slippery Rock was firing on all cylinders with 11 different players recording points and nine players finishing with at least two. Reagan Richeson led the team with a career‑best seven points, scoring five goals and adding two assists. She also caused two turnovers and now has seven caused turnovers in the last two games alone. Abby Fink added a hat trick and two assists for five points, while Isabella Buono turned in a season‑high four goals.
Maddie Blazey posted a goal and three assists, Claire Petty added a goal and two helpers, and Ava Dossier contributed two goals and one assist. Caitlyn Kelly and Lauren Petty each scored twice, and Shannon Von Kaenel chipped in a goal, an assist and a game‑high of nine draw controls. Erin Melcher added a goal, and Grace Rotter recorded an assist.
Defensively, Rotter and Violet Freebody led The Rock with three caused turnovers each, with Freebody also grabbing a team‑high four ground balls. Paige Jenkins and Richeson each caused two turnovers, and Jenkins added six draw controls and three ground balls.
In goal, Lily Ventresca earned the win after allowing just one goal and making two saves in the first half. Ava Drath took over after halftime, finishing with three saves and two goals allowed. Together, SRU’s goalies combined for five saves.
Wheeling’s offense was led by Jovie Noack, who scored twice and added an assist. Goalie Giavonna Perkins kept the Cardinals afloat early with 10 first‑half saves.
The victory pushes SRU to 5–0 and maintains its perfect all‑time record against Wheeling, who drops to 2–4.
Slippery Rock now heads to South Carolina for its spring break trip, where it will face two important regional opponents. The Rock take on Lander Saturday at 4 p.m., followed by a matchup with Newberry next Wednesday. Lander handed SRU its only regular‑season loss last year in an overtime thriller.
