by Andrew Goodwin, Sports Information Assistant 

McMINNVILLE, Ore. – Josie Duey and Jenna Hessel scored five goals apiece to lead Linfield to a 21-9 victory over Whitworth in Sunday afternoon's Northwest Conference women's lacrosse matchup. 

Trinity Frank and Liah Gingerich each scored four goals for the Bucs (1-10, 1-7 NWC), who were coming off their first win in school history. The duo played key roles in an improved second half performance for the Pirates, who trailed Linfield (7-4, 6-1 NWC) 15-3 after the first 30 minutes.

The Wildcats built their first half lead by taking advantage of 15 turnovers from the Pirates. Linfield took 30 shots in the inaugural half, 24 more than Whitworth.

After halftime, the Bucs put together a comeback attempt. Gingerich and Frank opened the second half by combining for three straight goals that pulled Whitworth within ten. The duo scored twice more to keep the Pirates in the game with 15:04 remaining before Linfield scored three straight times to pull away.

Jordan Cain scored the only Pirate goal that didn't come from Frank or Gingerich. The junior netted a free-position goal in the first half. As a team, the Bucs set a new program high with their best free-position performance of the year (4-8). 

Frank added another program record with seven draw controls, the best individual draw performance of the season for the Pirates. She also led the team with four groundballs. 

Laura Wells and Caitlin Thomas combined for 11 saves in goal. Wells neared her season-high in save percentage by stopping 40% of the shots that came her way. 

The Pirates continue their season on Wednesday, April 17 when they travel to Walla Walla to take on Whitman.