FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Franklin College women's lacrosse team grabbed their second Heartland Collegiate Lacrosse Conference (HCLC) win of the year on Wednesday (Apr. 20) night, taking an 11-9 win from Mount St. Joseph.

Junior Victoria Simmons powered the offense with eight points and the Grizzlies (3-7, 2-1 HCLC) held off the Lions (5-6, 2-2 HCLC) to win a physical matchup between the two league rivals.

How it Happened
Franklin reversed an early 3-1 deficit with goals from Simmons and Lora Adkins 20 second apart to tie the game at three with 5:55 to go in the first quarter. Bella Fry netted her second goal of the quarter with nine seconds left, tying the game at 4-4 with 15 minutes in the books.

The two defenses took over in the second quarter with just three combined goals scored. Simmons and Baleigh Riddle scored the first two of the quarter, giving the home side a 6-5 edge at halftime.

The physicality picked up in the second half but the Grizzly defense continued to keep the Lions off the scoreboard. Adkins and Ma Turnbaugh scored 29 seconds apart to account for the only goals of the third quarter, stretching Franklin's lead to 8-5 going to the fourth.

Riddle netted her second of the game just 2:49 into the fourth but back-to-back MSJ goals cut the deficit to 9-7 and forced a Franklin timeout. The Grizzlies answered emphatically out of the timeout, with Adkins and Simmons netting their third goals each to get the lead back to four and put the contest out of reach.

Inside the Box Score
-Simmons finished with three goals and five assists on the night, putting four shots on target and tying for the team lead with three turnovers caused.
-Adkins found the net with all three of her shot attempts. Riddle handed out a pair of assists to go with her two goals.
-Turnbaugh matched a career-high with five ground balls collected to go with a two-point night.
-Shot attempts were 24-22 in The Mount's favor. Riley Rice turned aside 10 shots in goal for her third win of the year.

Up Next
The Grizzlies hit the road for the final time this year on Saturday (Apr. 23) for an HCLC matchup with the Transylvania Pioneers. The opening draw is set for 1:00 p.m.