SPOKANE, Wash. – Kenzie Hemman dominated the match statistically to lead Whitworth to a 16-5 win over visiting Puget Sound in a Northwest Conference women's lacrosse match on Saturday afternoon at the Whitworth Pine Bowl.
The Pirates (6-1 overall, 3-1 NWC) have already equaled the school record for wins in a single season set in 2023 when the Bucs finished 6-12 overall. The Loggers (2-4, 1-2) lost for the first time ever in Spokane.
Hemman finished with six points on three goals and three assists. Hemman also had six draw controls, caused two turnovers and came up with three ground balls.
Megan Whitman got the Pirates on the board in the opening minute of the match with a goal from an assist by Hemman. After a scoreless stretch in which the Bucs dominated possession, Maya Sheklow tied the contest for Puget Sound seven minutes later. Campbell Vincent gave Whitworth a 2-1 lead with just over five minutes left in the first and the Pirates would not trail again. Jordan Bennett scored for the Bucs with 1:30 left and Hemman got her first of the match 40 seconds later. Cat Schilli was able to tack one on for the Loggers with only eight seconds to play in the period, pulling UPS within 4-2 after one quarter.
After an exchange of goals early in the second made it 5-3, Whitworth put the match out of reach with a 9-0 scoring run that spanned the final 10 minutes of the second and the entire third quarters. Kennison Turner scored three times during that run, while Rebecca Irwin tallied twice. Nikki Beers, Sierra Witte, Vincent and Hemman also scored in the rally.
Whitworth completely dominated the draw controls, 20-4, allowing the Pirates to have most of the possession. Witte led the Pirates with eight draw controls.
The Bucs also forced 18 turnovers from the Loggers, two each forced by Hemman, Beers, Whitman, Witte and Maddie Jennings.
In addition to Hemman's three goals, Turner also had three while Irwin, Vincent and Bennett scored two apiece.
Schilli and Bailey Furhmann scored two goals apiece for Puget Sound.
Whitworth will head to Southern California for spring break, taking on Cal Lutheran next Wednesday and Redlands on Friday.
