WORCESTER, Mass. – Playing in the first New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) game in program history, Clark University women's lacrosse were defeated by the Wheaton Lyons in a 19-3 final score.

Saturday's home-opening contest with the Lyons also marked the first game in over a year for Clark University varsity athletic teams. 

Wheaton College got out to a fiery start as an early hat-trick from sophomore Jessie Kilburn (North Branford, Conn.) highlighted an 8-0 scoring run from the visiting Lyons in the game's opening 15 minutes. 

Wheaton upped the margin to 11-0 before a goal from attacker Elysia Hall (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), assisted by Enis Perez (Coventry, R.I.), marked the first score of the season for the Cougars. Clark made it two unanswered goals moments later as senior newcomer Sarah Byrn (Minneapolis, Minn.) registered the first goal of her career with only three seconds left in the half. 

Facing a 12-2 deficit to start the second half, Clark put another on the board as senior Anna Joyce (Hopkinton, Mass.) found the net on her first goal of the season on a feed from Byrn just under two minutes into the second session. Wheaton slowed the pace for the remainder of the contest, scoring seven straight down the stretch for a 19-3 final score in the season opener. 

First-year goalie Olivia Harrington (Bedford, Mass.) made her collegiate debut in the home opener, stopping 17 of the 36 shots faced in net. Sophomore Kiley Simmons (Atkinson, N.H.) set the tone defensively with the midfielder scooping a game-high 11 groundballs for the Cougars. 

Wheaton's Kilburn led the way offensively in the contest, scoring a game-high five goals while teammates Casey Kaplan (Suffield, Conn.) and Danielle Trudeau (West Springfield, Mass.) chipped in four and three respectively. 

Game Details:

Score: Wheaton College 19, Clark University 3

Records: Wheaton College (1-0) | Clark University (0-1)

Location: Granger Field (Worcester, Mass.) 

Clark Highlights:

• Hall's goal in the first half not only marked the first of the season for the Cougars, but it was also the 20th in the career of the sophomore attacker. 

• Simmons' 11 groundballs mark the most in a single-game for the sophomore with her previous best being three, which was achieved twice during the 2020 season. 

Next Up:

Clark is back in action on Saturday, March 27 as it hosts Babson for a 1:00 PM NEWMAC matchup. Wheaton is scheduled to take on Emerson on March 27 at 1:00 PM.