BELLEVILLE, Ill. – Tied at six goals apiece 2:29 into the second half, second-seeded Davenport had an offensive explosion by scoring 10 straight in nearly 15 minutes to setup an 18-8 win over seventh-seed and Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference foes Lawrence Tech to open the National Women's Lacrosse League Championship Thursday afternoon.
 
The Panthers (15-3) move on to the tournament semifinal for the second straight year and will meet either No. 3 Georgetown (Ky.) or No. 6 Tennessee Wesleyan under the lights Friday at 8:30 p.m. EDT.
 
Brooke Knoll and Jessica Lemcke both tallied four goals, Taylor Balch had three along with five assists to lead the Panthers. Sara Kuzava also had a hat trick in addition to a team-most four groundballs on the afternoon.
 
Natalie McHale led the effort in the back causing four turnovers and picking up two loose balls.
 
Davenport outshot Lawrence Tech (9-7) 35-9 and won the groundball department 22-12.
 
Although the Panthers never trailed, the Blue Devils did tie the score twice, including one in the first half. Davenport did build a three-goal lead (5-3) up to the 17:44 mark but never led more than that. Lawrence Tech rallied late in the period to take a 6-5 deficit to intermission.
 
Women's Lacrosse Contact: David Gerhart | 616-554-5045 | dgerhart@davenport.edu
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