April 30, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Junior Sarah Downing scored three goals and added four assists Thursday as the 11th-ranked Vanderbilt women’s lacrosse team defeated Johns Hopkins, 14-8, in the opening round game of the 2009 American Lacrosse Conference Tournament.
The Commodore defense held Hopkins to only 14 shots on the day, while Vanderbilt’s offense peppered the Bluejay goal with a total of 34 shots. Downing and sophomore Katherine Denkler each scored three goals for Vanderbilt (10-5, 2-2 ALC).
Behind seven draw controls from freshman Ally Carey, the Commodores won 16 of the game’s 24 draws. Defensively, VU junior Alex Mundy had four ground balls and Megan Gibson had three.
Vanderbilt broke open a four-goal lead early in the opening nine minutes of the game. The Commodores took an 8-4 lead into the break as Denkler and junior Carter Foote scored off Downing assists.
In the second half, the Bluejays got within two goals on a pair of occasions, but the Commodores answered each time. Another four-goal run midway through the second half gave VU a 13-7 lead with eight minutes to play.
On Friday, No. 11 Vanderbilt will take on No. 1 Northwestern in the semifinals of the ALC Tournament, May 1, at 2 p.m. CT.
