GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Davenport continued their five-game home stand with a tough matchup against McKendree University. The Bearcats are a senior led team that can score goals at a high rate. The Panthers defense had their hands full on the day. The offense helped relieve some pressure, scoring 11 goals in the game. However, the Bearcats scored 18 goals against DU, earning the win on the Panthers home turf.
 
The Basics
Final Score: Davenport University-11 | McKendree-18
Location: Grand Rapids, Mich.
Record: DU (6-5, 3-3) | MCK (6-4, 5-2)

Goals Per Period
First period: DU-6 | MCK-9
Second period: DU-5 | MCK-9

How It Happened
The Panthers had a handle on the Bearcats in the first half, going goal for goal with McKendree. Davenport got on the board first, Ryann Deuel fired home a shot that found the back of the net, assisted by Aaliyah Miller. The two teams traded goals until the score was 6-6. The Bearcats went on a five-goal run over the end of the first half and start of the second that changed the momentum of the game dramatically. The Panthers went into halftime trailing by three goals.
 
The Panthers ended the run by McKendree by taking advantage of a yellow card by the Bearcats. Brenna Knoll scored a man-up goal with 24:44 left in the half, cutting the lead down to four goals. Davenport looked to get the game back in their control after the goal by Knoll, but McKendree had a different plan. McKendree scored four more unanswered goals and took a 15-7 lead with 15:35 left in regulation. Davenport outscored the Bearcats 4-3 in the final 15 minutes of the game, but that wasn't enough to erase the eight-goal deficit they found themselves in during the second half.

Inside The Box
Miller (4 G, A, 2 GB, CT)
Knoll (4 G, 4 GB, CT, 4 DC, 1-3 FPS)
Reilly Noble (4 A, 2 GB)
Taylor Ries (G, 2 A, GB, CT, 0-1 FPS)
Deuel (G, 2 GB, CT, 7 DC, 0-1 FPS)
Addie Bethune (3 GB)
Payton Cardoza (2 GB)
Makenna Pitchford (47:55 minutes, 17 GA, 8 saves)
Alex Yates (12:05 minutes, 1 GA, 1 saves)

Up Next
The Panthers only have one game on the docket this upcoming week. Davenport will host Grand Valley State on Saturday, April 6.

Story by: Devin Steiner
 
Picture credit: Tom Puskar