GEORGETOWN, Tex. (blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's lacrosse team opened its season with a 9-5 defeat at Southwestern University on Friday. The Pirates scored five goals in the second quarter, and the Blugolds couldn't quite come back.

Box Score

The two sides were even throughout the first quarter. The Pirates scored the opening goal at the 12:49 mark, but the Blugolds had an answer 30 seconds later. Kylah Krause (Sr. – Belleville, Ill./East) scored an unassisted goal to tie the game at 1-1 with 12:19 remaining. Southwestern had nine shots in the opening period, while the Blugolds fired off eight. Alexandria Shea (So. – Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) made two saves in the quarter.

The Pirates found some separation in the second period, outscoring the Blugolds 5-1 to take a 6-2 lead. Southwestern scored twice in the first two minutes of the quarter before UW-Eau Claire responded with a goal of its own from Samantha Burns (So. – Mahtomedi, Minn.). The Pirates scored three times across the final 10 minutes of the quarter and outshot the Blugolds 12-3 in the period.

The Blugolds regained some ground in the third quarter, scoring twice to make it a 6-4 deficit with just under six minutes remaining in the period. Krause struck for her second goal, this time assisted by Lily Zygowicz (Fr. – Lafayette, Colo./Centaurus), at the 8:50 mark. Ruby Pozorski (So. – Burnsville, Minn.) added another goal, also assisted by Zygowicz, with 5:54 to go. However, Southwestern scored with 33 seconds left on the clock to carry a 7-4 advantage into the fourth quarter. The Blugolds held a 5-4 edge in shots in the third quarter.

Southwestern found the back of the net 21 seconds into the final quarter and added another insurance goal at the 7:30 mark, making its lead 9-4. The Blugolds scored their final goal with 5:11 remaining when Riley Domagala (Jr. – Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) struck.

Southwestern finished with a 28-22 advantage in shots and led 19-14 in shots on goal. Shea made 10 saves for the Blugolds. The Pirates tallied 34 ground balls compared to 30 for UW-Eau Claire.

The Blugolds and Pirates will square off again on Sunday, Feb. 12. The game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. in Georgetown, Texas.

Follow the Blugolds all season long at Blugold Game Day or on our app, UWEC Blugolds.