Women’s lacrosse (2-0, 0-0 NESCAC) captured two dominant victories during its first weekend of play, defeating the Skidmore Thoroughbreds (0-3) 11-4, and the Smith Pioneers (2-2) 18-1. Attacker Franny Donohue ’26 opened up the assertive victory against the Thoroughbreds, scoring the first goal of the season on Farley-Lamb Field to put the Ephs up 1-0 early into the first quarter. Donohue, who led the Ephs in goals and points last season, tallied two goals and an assist during Saturday’s victory.
Defender Cailin Morrissey ’27 credited the team’s culture with the win. “We’re a really selfless team that wants to work for each other more than [for] personal stats, which is really nice to see,” she said.
The Ephs’ selfless style of play contributed to their offensive eruption during the first quarter against Skidmore, which paved the way for their victory. Elsa Dean-Muncie ’25 assisted Sasha Landau ’25 to bring the lead up to 2-0 for the Ephs on a man-up play. Then, two quick goals by Cece Tauber ’27 and Anna Miller ’26 in the span of 45 seconds doubled the lead. Donohue scored her second goal of the contest when she worked a move to the left of the crease and fired a shot past the Thoroughbreds’ goaltender to bring the score to 5-0. Dean-Muncie scored two goals in the final five minutes of the quarter to give the Ephs a grand tally of seven first quarter goals, trumping the Thoroughbreds’ one.
The Ephs kept up the momentum from this opening quarter throughout the rest of the game: Dean-Muncie scored her third goal of the game in the second quarter, giving her a first-half hat trick; Claudia Russell ’25 scored the Ephs’ sole goal of the third quarter, as well as the Ephs’ first goal of the fourth quarter; and Lauren Morganlander ’26 scored the final goal of the contest for the Ephs en route to the 11-4 victory. Reece Willison ’27 expressed excitement that the win marked her collegiate debut. “It was a really fun first game — definitely some nerves at the beginning, but it was good to be out there,” she said. “The team environment is super welcoming, and it’s a great group of girls that just love lacrosse, and it’s fun to play with people who love the game.”
On Sunday against Smith, less than a minute into the game, Donohue once again scored first. Soon after, DeanMuncie followed with a goal of her own, assisted by Claire Newhall ’25. After the Pioneers responded with a goal, the Ephs scored four unanswered goals to close the quarter. Meaghan Day ’26 notched her first goal of the season, followed by DeanMuncie’s second goal of the quarter. Donohue and Morganlander scored as the quarter winded down, sending the Ephs into the second quarter with a commanding 6-1 lead.
The second quarter proved to be similar in strength, with the Ephs adding four goals to their total. Willison scored her first career goal to open things offensively for the Ephs, with Miller following to increase the lead to seven. Dean-Muncie scored the Ephs’ ninth goal of the game, earning herself her second hat trick of the weekend, and Miller scored once more before halftime to give the Ephs a 10-1 lead that proved insurmountable for the Pioneers.
Donohue scored the first goal of the third quarter, earning her own hat trick. Dean-Muncie, unsatisfied with three goals, added a fourth one to make the score 12-1, and Morganlander added one more to give the Ephs a 13-1 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Despite her strong individual performance, Donohue emphasized the contributions her teammates made during the game. “We had a lot of firsts this weekend, which was really exciting, and I think it kind of speaks to the depth of the team,” she said. “I think the [first-years] are going to play a big part in that this year too.”
Some of these firsts included Tauber’s first collegiate goal in the opening quarter against the Thoroughbreds, as well as Willison and Coco Norman ’27 recording their first career points during Sunday’s victory against Smith. The team was also elated to see attacker Stephanie Wistreich ’24 score her first goal of the season after battling an injury during the 2023 campaign.
“I think we came out firing, and we were just excited to play,” Willison said of the victory. “We finished a lot of our shots, and then the rest of the game we just worked on our offensive sets.”
The Ephs prevented the Thoroughbreds from mounting a comeback during the first quarter of the game — an effort that Donohue credited to the Eph attackers’ hustling back on defense.
“I think a big thing was that if we did lose the ball on offense, attack [rode] to get it back, and then that was a really successful [gameplan], and that kept [the ball with] the offense the entire time,” Donohue said. “I would say that the interceptions really fed the energy this weekend in general, and a lot of the forced turnovers on our end.” The Ephs recovered 12 ground balls and forced 21 turnovers, supplementing their explosive offensive performance.
The 2-0 Ephs will face Bates (1-2, 0-1 NESCAC) on Farley-Lamb Field this Saturday, March 9, looking to advance to 3-0 on the season.
Defender Katy McCullough ’26 emphasized her excitement about the team’s potential for this season and Saturday’s game, which will mark the Ephs’ first match against a NESCAC team. “We have a really dynamic team with a lot of different specialties, so I think that everyone has a role on our team this year which is really exciting,” she said. “They’re a scrappy team, and our game with them last year was [13-9 Williams], so it will be a good way to get into NESCAC play.”
