ADRIAN, Mich. - It's time for final exams at Adrian College, and this week the Bulldog women's lacrosse team has two tests scheduled for their season finale.
The first of which will take place in the friendly confines of Docking Stadium on Wednesday evening against the Flying Dutchmen of Hope College.
Coming into the week, the conference's preseason favorites have won three of their last four outings, and sit of the edge of the league's postseason cut-off line with a 3-2 record (8-6 overall).
Leading the Dutch is the duo of Madison Micho and Madison McCreery. The senior pair have totaled 38 and 25 goals, respectively, and are the only non-defensemen in the line-up to have started in all 14 games so far for Hope. Furthermore, Micho also paces the team with 95 draw controls, the second-most of any field player in the MIAA.
In goal, sophomore Maddie Yakes (7-5) has compiled the conference's third-highest save total at 117. However, her goals-against average (13.8) actively ranks eighth among those who have played in 33 percent of their team's goalie minutes.
The young netminder was tested in Hope's most recent contest versus Calvin University, but she stood tall with a season-best 0.560 save percentage to help the Dutch sneak past the Knights, 12-11.
The loss was Calvin's third in four games, all on the road too. The Knights, though, will play their final two contests of the regular-season on their home turf, including a Friday afternoon match-up with the Bulldogs.
Senior Megan Gilbert stands alone atop the Knights' stat charts, boasting a league third-best 63 goals with an additional six assists. The midfielder also trumps all others on draw controls, having won 116, which is 21 more than Hope's Micho in second-place.
Between the pipes, Jessica Camp (5-8) has been Calvin's go-to all season long, starting for all 13 of the team's games and racking up 131 saves behind a 0.476 save percentage.
She will face an Adrian offense led by
Olive Stevens (55 goals and 10 assists) and
Carlee Casteel (30 goals and 12 assists). The black and gold's senior combo have each scored in all but one of the 'Dogs games this season, and rank one-two in the line-up on free position goals, ground balls and draw controls.
Brooke Barabas and
Zoe Weber continue to be offensive contributors for the locals, and have both tallied 12 goals on the season, plus another seven assists from the latter of the two.
All told, Adrian has lost its last 14 combined games against Calvin and Hope, with its last wins in both series coming in 2014.
Live stats and live video will be available for both of this week's games.
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