WASHINGTON – The American University lacrosse team (3-1) opened the scoring on the day and never relinquished its lead as it defended the home field advantage in a 16-5 win against crosstown rival George Washington (0-4) for the Eagles' third straight victory. Junior Hannah Spease helped lead the Eagles to the win with four goals throughout the contest.

BY THE NUMBERS

• In addition to her four goals on four shots, Spease also contributed to the scoring with an assist and four draw controls.
• The Eagles were buoyed by a pair of sophomores hitting their stride as Becca Frank and Maddy Spratt each scored a pair of goals. Frank added a pair of assists to her point total while Spratt notched an assist of her own to go along with grabbing two ground balls and securing a draw control.
• Adding to the youth movement for American, freshmen Rachel Kolton and Reagan Murdoch also added a pair of goals apiece. Fellow freshmen Annabelle Jackson and Kellie Linehan each added a goal while Linehan also added a pair of assists.
• Senior Emma Hare capped the scoring for the Eagles with another two goals of her own.
• Junior Lizzie De Guzman set the tone early on with 10 draw controls.
• Staying active across the field, junior Jordan Mitchell secured three ground balls while freshman Bliss Vernon corralled another two.
• Junior goalkeeper Mary Alice Collins earned the win for the Eagles with five saves while allowing five goals.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Linehan earned the first goal of the game in the third minute of the first quarter as Spease found her on the assist.
• Spease was next up for the Eagles, scoring her first goal of the game, and fifth of the season, as Frank found her in front of the goal.
• While George Washington answered 30 seconds later with a goal of its own, Frank responded for American 40 seconds later to extend the Eagles' lead, 3-1.
• Murdoch added the Eagles' fourth and final goal of the first quarter before George Washington beat the American defense to remain within striking distance.
• Three minutes into the second frame, Spratt found the net for her eighth goal of the season before Kolton scored her first goal of the season a minute later.
• American opened its lead with two more goals in quick succession as Hare scored a man-up from a free position before Jackson added another goal to take a 8-2 lead.
• George Washington scored its third goal of the game with 3:54 remaining in the second quarter, however American responded with a pair of goals from Spease and Spratt to take a 10-3 lead into halftime. Spease was assisted by Linehan while Spratt notched the Eagles' second goal from a man-up and free position situation.
• Kolton began the third quarter with another free position goal while Spease added another goal within the first five minutes of the second half. George Washington, though, was able to break through the Eagles' defense for its fourth goal.
• Before the third quarter could come to a close, Spratt fed a pass to Frank for another goal.
• Murdoch began the fourth quarter with a goal, with an assist from sophomore Alyssa Apuzzo. Hare followed shortly after with a man-up goal with Linehan on the assist.
• George Washington scored its fifth and final goal with 5:35 remaining in the game, but Spease responded with her fourth goal of the day.

NEXT UP

• American finishes its three-game homestand with a noon game on Saturday, March 4, against Mercer before heading to the West Coast to face off with UC Davis on Friday, March 10, and California on Sunday, March 12.

STAY CONNECTED

• For the latest on AU Lacrosse, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_Lacrosse) and Instagram (@au_wlax).