Women's Lacrosse Pulls Away From Mount Mercy on the Road

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, (March 24, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College women's lacrosse team traveled to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to play Mount Mercy (Iowa) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference contest Monday afternoon.  The Vikings pulled away in the second half to earn an 18-7 victory.

Missouri Valley got out in front early in the game, as Freshman Midfielder Ashley Halter (Alcoa, Tenn.) scored the first goal of the contest, off an assist from Freshman Midfielder Ava Graham (Pearland, Texas), with less than three minutes off the clock.  Just over two minutes later, Graham set up another, this time from Sophomore Attack Hailey Davis (Maryville, Tenn.) to make it a 2-0 score.  Davis added another goal near the eight-minute mark, and scored again with just under seven minutes to play in the quarter to extend the lead to 4-0.  Mount Mercy answered back with two goals over the next stretch, cutting the deficit down to 4-2 with five minutes remaining.  Davis added another goal, this time off a free-position chance, one minute later, and a last-second goal from Senior Attack Allexis Lark (Alma, Mo.) sent MVC into the second quarter ahead, 6-2.

Scoring in the second quarter opened on a goal from Graham as the advantage sat at 7-2.  The Mustangs responded and went on a three-goal run to pull back to a 7-5 deficit with just over nine minutes to play in the half.  The two teams traded possession over the rest of play in the half, as Senior Goalkeeper Melissa Sandoval (Weiser, Idaho) made three saves to keep MVC in front at halftime, 7-5.

Play after the break began with a goal from Mount Mercy less than three minutes into play to make it a 7-6 score.  Missouri Valley pulled away from there, scoring eight-straight goals through the rest of play in the quarter.  Davis scored three of the goals, Halter added two goals, while Allexis Lark, Sophomore Attack Atleigh Lark (Alma, Mo.) and Graham all scored once during the stretch.  The Vikings also held MMU to only two shots on goal during the run, which were both saved by Freshman Goalkeeper Audrey Connolly (Houston, Texas).  The Mustangs came through with one goal, late in the third quarter, but the MVC lead sat at 15-7 going into the final quarter of play.

Missouri Valley extended its lead in the fourth quarter, scoring three more goals.  Graham, Atleigh Lark and Halter each added one goal apiece.  Connelly made four more saves in the quarter, and helped the Vikings close out an 18-7 victory.  The 18 goals scored is the most for the program since an 18-1 win over St. Mary (Kan.), back on March 23, 2021.

Davis led with six goals, followed by four goals from Halter.  Graham totaled three goals and three assists.  Atleigh Lark finished with two goals and two assists, and Allexis Lark had two goals.  Connolly led with eight saves, while Sandoval added five assists.  Rose Szymasnski led with five ground balls, and Davis had two caused turnovers.  Missouri Valley led in draw controls, 17-11, forced 25 turnovers and came up with 20 ground balls.

The win moves Missouri Valley to 2-7 overall and 1-4 in the Heart.  Mount Mercy drops to 0-4 on the season and 0-4 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking women's lacrosse team hosts Eastern Oregon in a non-conference game, Thursday at 7 p.m., inside Volney C. Ashford Stadium.

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About Missouri Valley College

Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.