ST. CHARLES – A massive crowd, a Pac-12 powerhouse and a disco ball were all part of a historic night at Lindenwood University on Friday.
After learning last February that they would be moving to NCAA Division I, the Lindenwood Women’s Lacrosse team envisioned its first game playing at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics.
When it arrived, it demanded some pregame stress relief.
“We’ve never been more excited. The atmosphere in the locker room was awesome. We had a disco ball going,” senior Emma Arnold said. “But we knew it was going to be tough.”
Arnold scored four goals, but quick starts by California to begin each half proved to be too much for the Lions to overcome as Cal defeated Lindenwood 17-9 at Hunter Stadium in the Lions’ first Division I women’s lacrosse game.
In front of a huge crowd, California (1-0) experienced none of the sloppiness that normally accompanies the start of a season. The Bears won the first four draws and produced four goals in the first 4 minutes 46 seconds, all by different players.
“Early on, we did a good job of taking care of the ball and that allowed us to get off to a hot start. That lack of turnovers was key for us,” said Cal coach Jennifer Wong, who won her first game as a Division I coach.
The California lead was 5-0 when Lindenwood’s Brennan Paddy inked her name on the back of a trivia card, becoming the first Lions’ player to score a Division I goal with a free position shot midway through the first quarter.
The Paddy goal seemed to ease some of the tension in the Lindenwood players, and led by Arnold and Elisabeth Ralph, the Lions clawed back into the game.
Arnold scored on a drive down the right side and Ralph unleashed a reverse-pivot, underhand shot two minutes later. Arnold punctuated an excellent second quarter for Lindenwood by pinballing off a defender and scoring with nine seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 9-5.
“I knew once we could get our first goal, that was going to settle a lot of people and it did,” said Lindenwood coach Jack Cribbin, who began his 18th season at the helm for the Lions. “For a good stretch of time we were playing with them, we just couldn’t catch them.”
Lindenwood (0-1), which won the Division II national championship in 2021, carried the momentum of the late goal into the locker room, but Cal emerged for the second half with the same precision with which they started.
California scored the first four goals of the second half, propelled by outstanding goalkeeping from senior Riley Drullinger, who made three brilliant saves in the quarter.
Not to be outdone, Lindenwood goalie Eleanor Kast kept the Lions within striking distance by making five excellent saves in the second half, including two on California free position opportunities.
Arnold and Ralph were again the beneficiaries.
Arnold circled from behind the net to score, and Ralph deposited a goal with two seconds remaining in the third quarter to slice the deficit to 13-7.
“It all came from the defensive end pushing forward. That was a team effort, going from end to end and finishing in the goal,” Ralph said.
Consecutive free position goals by Arnold and Lexy Biller sliced the deficit to 14-9 with nine minutes to play, but Cal senior Maya Lawliss scored her fifth and sixth goals of the game to extinguish any hope of a historic night at Lindenwood from becoming even more magical.
“It’s hard to be upset, it really is,” Arnold said. “Nobody likes to lose, but we’re grateful for this opportunity. It’s a learning opportunity and we’re going to be OK.”
Wong echoed those sentiments.
“It was awesome to be part of their first (Division I) game, because I know that they’re going to continue to get better and better,” Wong said. “I’m excited to watch their program.”
Schedule Notes
Lindenwood, a member of the Atlantic Sun conference, has a 17-game regular season schedule which resumes with a home matchup with Central Michigan at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
The Lions will play their first road game at noon on Feb. 19 against Louisville.
California will remain in the St. Louis area and face Central Michigan in a neutral site game at Hunter Stadium at noon on Sunday.
Great article on a historic night!! Thank you Ben for your amazing coverage!!