HILTON HEAD, S.C. (March 13, 2015) – For the Drew University women's lacrosse team, the beginning of the 2015 season was well worth the wait.
 
After six postponements of the Rangers' season opener, the new campaign finally got started in Hilton Head, S.C. and the Blue & Green shot out of the gate with a 17-2 win over Penn State Abington on Wednesday, followed by a 12-9 defeat of Bridgewater (Va.) College on Thursday.
 
Ten different Rangers recorded a goal during the Spring Break excursion, and the Drew defense and sophomore goalkeeper Gianna Minogue (22 saves) posted a 5.50 goals-against average en route to the perfect start to the season.
 
Rangers Explode Out of Gate for 17-2 Victory in 2015 Opener
Box Score
 
Sophomore midfielder Morgan Mason and freshman midfielder Maddie Spiess each netted a hat trick to lead 10 different goal scorers in Drew's season opening 17-2 win over Penn State Abington in Hilton Head.
 
"There was a lot of excitement coming into this game because of being postponed six times to start the season, and we put together an all-around team effort," said head coach Julia Steier. "They were eager to show how much work they have done in eight weeks. This was their payoff and we got the first-game jitters out of the way."
 
The pent up energy that has been building since the first postponement back on Feb. 21 was released on the Lions from the opening draw. Drew took a 10-0 lead within the opening 13 minutes with Spiess and Mason's three goals apiece, two goals from senior attacker Nikki Kleiman and markers from senior midfielder Krysta Cento and sophomore attacker Anna Fiorini.
 
The quick advantage on the scoreboard allowed the Rangers to fine-tune their game and also work in some new players to the mix. Freshmen Sage Johnson and Nicole Kinney each netted two goals to begin their college lacrosse careers with a bang, while freshman Sarah Anderson also connected on her first career goal in the Drew victory.
 
Defensively, Drew caused 14 turnovers and held the Lions to 10 shots, six of which were stopped by Minogue in net. The Rangers were a perfect 6-for-6 on their clear attempts. Kleiman was the leading facilitator in the season opening victory, passing out four assists as part of a team-high six point day.
 
Drew's Sharp First Half vs. Bridgewater Leads to 2-0 Start
Box Score
 
A second straight hat trick from freshman Maddie Spiess coupled with 16 saves in goal by keeper Gianna Minogue sparked a 12-9 victory over Bridgewater (Va.) College.
 
The Rangers jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the first half thanks to the offensive presence by Spiess, along with Mason (2g, 4a) and Cento (2g, 3a). Playing on back-to-back days, Drew was not quite clicking on all cylinders as they did on Wednesday, but that type of game was needed early in the season, according to Drew's head coach, especially with the end result being a win.
 
"It was a physical game and another complete team effort," Steier said. "We played well, but made some critical mistakes that Bridgewater capitalized on. They were mistakes that we needed to make and learn from, especially with our condensed upcoming schedule as we head into Landmark Conference play next week."
 
Bridgewater scored the final two goals of the opening half-hour to set the score at 7-3 in Drew's favor at halftime. Johnson scored the third goal of her young career to get the second half started, but the Eagles mounted a comeback after trading goals. With Drew leading 10-5 midway through the second half, Bridgewater rattled off four straight to cut the Rangers' lead to 10-9.
 
That's as close as they would get as Minogue shut the door defensively, with the help of solid play by defenders Juliana Strazulo, Allison Kreisinger, Sam DeSimone and Cailyn Breski.
 
Mason and Cento each scored in the final four minutes to put the cushion back to 12-9 and the Rangers closed out the second win of the year in as many tries.
 
Drew returns North with a 2-0 record and will host its home opener on Thursday, March 19 at 7:00 p.m. against SUNY College at Old Westbury at Ranger Stadium.