Women’s lacrosse makes Detroit beg for Mercy

By Ryan Patota, Sports Reporter

The Canisius women’s lacrosse team came out firing in their first game of the season, scoring 23 goals in a dominant victory over Detroit Mercy on Tuesday.

The Griffs had everything possible go right for them in the 23–6 victory, with 13 different goal scorers that included three different players scoring a hat trick. Canisius went on an eight-goal run after trailing 1–0 and had a 14-goal outburst in the first half. They would not stop from there as they put the pedal to the medal, ending up with 23 goals, which was the most scored by the team since a 25–11 victory over Siena in 2017, and the most scored under Head Coach Russell Allen.

Senior attacker Meg Hiltz led the team with five points, including three goals. Sophomore Brooke Hippert and freshman Annie Chimienti also added hat tricks. In addition to Chimienti, freshman Ella Forcucci tallied her first collegiate goal. Senior Maggie Tifft led the team with a career-high seven draw controls, helping the Griffs tie the single-game program record with 22 in that category.

When asked about the example set by the seniors for the underclassmen, Allen praised the team’s performance in all phases of the game. “It shows the leadership growth, especially from our seniors. [Specifically] Maggie Tifft setting the tone on the draw controls [and] our crease defenders stepping up as significant leaders for the freshman led to their presence that we can count on going forward.” 

The offensive outburst for the Griffs led to Canisius outshooting Detroit Mercy 43–13. “We did a great job not turning the ball over, which allowed us to continue to put pressure throughout,” said Allen. 

The Griffs will look to build on their stellar performance when they travel to Moon Township, Pa. to face Robert Morris on Friday at 4 p.m.