KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The College of Wooster women's lacrosse team opened the 2026 campaign in style with a 20-8 victory over Kalamazoo College.
 
Senior Lizzie Hardy scored her first of six goals to kick off the game, picking up a ground ball off a Kalamazoo (1-1) save and dumping it back into the net.
 
Sophomore Cassidy Driscoll added her first goal before the Hornets got on the scoreboard about halfway through the period. Wooster responded with two additional goals, but it was Kalamazoo finding the back of the net in the waning minutes for a 4-2 score at the end of the first period. 
 
Wooster's offense opened up in the second period, starting with two goals from Hardy as part of a 4-0 run and then added two more scores late to take a 10-3 lead at halftime. 
 
Kalamazoo found its offensive groove coming out of the locker room, scoring three of the first four goals and trimming the Scots' lead down to 11-6 around the halfway point of the third quarter.
 
Back-to-back-to-back woman-up goals from senior Sophia Mellis, sophomore Rowan Pilon and senior Brynne Snaguski helped Wooster double up the Hornets and then some before ending the period on a 3-0 run.
 
The fourth quarter was more of a defensive struggle as only four goals were scored in the period. Kalamazoo broke through a stalemate with 8:17 remaining, which ended up being its last goal of the game. The Scots added three more for the 20-8 final score. 
 
Hardy led the way offensively and defensively with game highs of six goals, seven ground balls and nine draw controls. Snaguski tallied six points off four goals and two assists.
 
Both Driscoll and Mellis had hat tricks while Mellis also contributed a team-high tying two caused turnovers, alongside first-year Kylie MacMillan. Pilon was also all over the field with two goals, two assists and three ground balls. 
 
Senior Ella Spooner accounted for half her team's offense with four goals and scooped a team-high four ground balls. Junior Tessa Fuller was the only other multi-goal scorer with two goals. Fellow juniors Kennedy Hynde and Annslee Ware contributed seven draw controls and four caused turnovers, respectively. 
 
In the net, junior Audrey Richardson picked up the win, making eight saves. Her counterpart, junior Kaitlyn Grice, had seven stops for the Hornets. 
 
The Scots held a slight statistical advantage but several of the stat categories were fairly matched. Wooster led the way in shots (34-18), shots on goal (22-13), free position shots (6-3), ground balls (26-17), clears (14-of-18 vs. 9-of-16), draw controls (17-10) and caused turnovers (10-8).
 
Wooster will hold its home opener Feb. 28, with a non-conference tilt against Capital University at 1 p.m. inside John P. Papp Stadium.