HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata women's lacrosse team moved to 4-0, their best start ever, after their 21-3 win over visiting Eastern Mennonite on a sunny and windy afternoon at Gibbel Stadium.
Michaela Naccarini (Westminster, Md. / Winters Mill H.S.) scored on a free position shot, Paige Riker (Sussex, N.J. / Vernon Township) found the back of the net and Talia Bertrando (Lititz, Pa. / Warwick)found Isabella Michener (Randolph, N.J. / Randolph H.S.) for a goal as the Eagles led 3-0 nearly four minutes into the game.
The Royals Morgan Tricarico scored unassisted, which was the first goal ever for the first-year program.
Michener, Bertrando, and Taylor Metz (Oaklyn, N.J. / Paul VI H.S.) added a goal apiece to increase the JC lead before the Royals struck again. The Eagles went on a 9-0 run in the final 18 minutes to take complete control of the game. Michener scored four, Bertrando added two while Riker, Naccarini, and Shayla Lapp (Lancaster, Pa. / Lampeter-Strasburg) each scored once as the Eagles led 15-2 at the break.
Juniata outshot the Royals 14-1 in the second half and outscored them 6-1, as EMU turned their lone shot into a goal.
Juniata picked up 29 ground balls to the Royals 16 and won 19 draw controls to the visitors seven.
The Eagles head to Florida, where they will take on Rochester Institute of Technology, Wednesday at 1:00.
