Women’s lacrosse defeats Ohio State for second consecutive win

By Nick Zelano–

On Saturday at 2 p.m., the women’s lacrosse team won their second straight game to improve to 2-0 on the season. The team defeated Ohio State with a score of 12-11, marking a great start to the season for the team. Led by junior midfielders Colleen O’Malley and Nikki Boltja with four goals each, the team fought hard to edge out the upset.

“Nikki played great,” head coach Kellie Young said. “Two of her goals were perfectly placed, and she was unstoppable.”

After taking the 1-0 lead with Nikki Boltja’s goal, the Cardinals were working from behind the rest of the game. The largest lead in the game was Ohio State leading numerous teams by two goals at 4-2, 5-3 and 9-7. Besides their 1-0 lead, Louisville did not lead at any point in the game until they took the final lead 12-11 with another Boltja goal with seven minutes left.

“It wasn’t her opening goal or game-winning goal, though,” Young said of Bolita’s impact on the game. “It was her defending.”

This marked the team’s fourth win in school history over a ranked opponent.

“You expect the No. 13 team in the nation to score goals, but our defense stopped them when they needed to,” Young said. “Out of a rocky first half, we came out mentally tough ready to dominate the second half.”

Freshman midfielder Kaylin Morissette was held scoreless in her second career game for U of L. She posted a great stat line of five draw controls and also captured two ground balls. This showing took place after a debut earlier this week against Canisius. With four goals, including three in the first half, Morissette forced four turnovers. These stats were historical, and she also tied two others with the most goals in a Louisville debut.

The stat line also proved enough for national recognition, for Morissette earned Rookie of the Week according to Womenslax.com, an Illinois-based organization. A Canadian native, Morissette was a captain on the U-19 Canadian national team coming in.

The women’s lacrosse team will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 1 p.m. The game, held at home, will feature the Cardinals battling Old Dominion at the U of L Lacrosse Stadium.

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Photos by Austin Lassell/The Louisville Cardinal