Written by Sports Information Student Assistant, Jake Sipes-Salter

HANOVER, Ind. - In the second contest of their two-game winter break slate, the Hanover women's lacrosse team triumphed over the Trine (Ind.) Thunder by a score of 14-10 on Sunday afternoon.

The Panthers advance to 2-1 on the 2020 campaign with the victory, while the Thunder fall to 0-2 to start their regular season.

The Blue and Red got on the board first with a score from senior Kinna Balasko (Fishers, Ind.) at 26:23 in the first half. Forty seconds later, sophomore Milah Young (Granger, Ind.) dished a pass to sophomore Anne Breeding (Miamisburg, Ohio) to make it a 2-0 Hanover lead. Balasko added her second score of the day at 24:04 to push a 3-0 advantage. Trine got on the board at 22:45, but HC followed it up by hitting the back of the net on four unanswered occasions between 21:41 and 15:20 on the clock. Senior Sarah Todd (Columbus, Ohio) bookended the string, with the first coming on an assist from senior Laurel Atchison (Florence, Ky.). Also adding to it were senior Emma Boomershine (Louisville, Ky.) and Young. From 9:08 until the half's end, the Thunder went off for four scores of their own, cutting it to a 7-5 halftime lead for the Panthers.

When the second half began, Balasko notched her third score to make it an 8-5 Hanover advantage, but Trine responded less than a minute later to mark an 8-6 tally. At 23:09, Balasko converted on a free position shot, extending a 9-6 upper hand. The Thunder shot back at 19:33, but HC rifled off three straight goals, coming from Balasko, Atchison, and Young to grab a 12-7 lead with 15:46 remaining. A Trine score at 11:49 made it 12-8, but Atchison found the net less than a minute later to make it a 13-8 Hanover advantage. Balasko rounded off scoring at 9:40, and the defense held for the win.

In the goal, senior Julia Long (Cincinnati, Ohio) made 16 saves, including 12 stops in the second half despite seeing 21 shots from the Thunder in the final 30 minutes. On defense, the Blue and Red forced 14 turnovers, with a team-high of three coming from sophomore Dianet Sanchez Vega (Louisville, Ky.), who also notched a pair of groundballs. Junior Charlotte Verbanic (Columbus, Ind.) had five grounders, with four more coming from sophomore Emily Christian (Louisville, Ky.). Both players additionally finished with a pair of caused turnovers.

Offensively, Balasko finished with six goals, giving her 13 goals and 14 points over the past two outings. Atchison had two scores and two dimes, while Todd and Young each finished with a pair of goals and one assist. Boomershine hit the back once while dishing two helpers, and Breeding tallied one score.

As a unit, Hanover was outshot 30-25, but the Panthers made 14 of their 25 attempts, while holding the Thunder to 10 conversions. Moreover, HC cashed in on 18-of-26 clear attempts and enjoyed a 16-10 upper hand in draw controls.

Hanover will next take the field at 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 4, when they travel to face the DePauw Tigers.