ST. PAUL, Minn. - In their first conference game of the season, the Hamline lacrosse team (3-3, 1-0 MWLC) had seven different players score on their way to a 15-4 road win over Northwestern (1-2, 0-1 MWLC) on Saturday evening, helping the Pipers start the MWLC season 1-0.
 
Senior Ashley Hessler led the team in points on the day, with six total, scoring three times and assisting three others. This was Hessler's sixth game with multiple points, achieving this feat in every game so far this season. She currently leads the Pipers with 27 points on the year so far and ranks second in the MWLC in assists with 15.
 
Senior Maya Hernandez and sophomore Michaela Arnold also had three goals for HU, with Hernandez adding two assists as well to end with five points. Sophomore Taryn Leonard and first year Emma Moe were the final two to end with multiple points in the contest, each scoring two goals apiece.
 
Hernandez had an impressive nine draw controls in the game, two shy of the program record. Hessler and first year Kendra Haselow led the team in groundballs, picking up seven and six, respectively throughout the contest.
 
In net, senior Alyssa Bryan-Jeffries made 13 stops on her way to her third win of the season. This was also the third time this year that she has made 10+ saves for the Pipers.
 
As a team, Hamline was efficient with their shots, getting 25 of their 27 total shots on net.
 
The Pipers started the game strong, taking a 5-0 lead after the first 15 minutes. Hernandez got the scoring started with a goal less than two minutes into the game and Arnold would add two goals to make it 3-0 with 20 minutes left. A goal from Leonard and another from Hernandez within the next four minutes would make it 5-0 before Northwestern got one of those goals back to make it 5-1 with 14:30 left in the half.
 
Six unanswered goals for the Pipers made it 11-1, but the Eagles would get a last-second goal to head into the half with the score at 11-2.
 
Goals from Hessler and senior Maria Lewis to start the second frame once again gave Hamline a double-digit lead and from there they would coast to the 15-4 final.
 
The Pipers will look to make it two wins in a row as they head to UW-Eau Claire on Wednesday for a non-conference matchup. Game time is set for 5:00 p.m.