Romeoville, Ill. - The Lewis University women's lacrosse team began their 2026 campaign with a dominant 23-2 win over Saginaw Valley State Tuesday evening at Lewis Stadium in the first game of the year for both teams.
IMPACT PLAYERS
Jade McKinnon (Coquitlam, BC, Canada/Dr. Charles Best Secondary School) led the Lewis offense with five goals while
Eliana Cappellini (Burnaby, BC, Canada/Burnaby North Secondary School) netted a team-best six points.
Ryan Paterson (Pitt Meadows, BC, Canada/Pitt Meadows Secondary School) also helped pace the offense with four goals of her own. On the defensive side of the ball,
Jade McKinnon (Coquitlam, BC, Canada/Dr. Charles Best Secondary School) and
Daniella Winterlik (Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada/Terry Fox) led the Flyers with four ground balls each with McKinnon also causing a game-high five turnovers. In the draw circle,
Gianna Stack (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township High School) snagged two ground balls while in net,
Sophia Fountain (Berkeley, Ill./Montini Catholic High School) made three saves on five shots in the win.
For the Cardinals, Ally Schneider accounted for both goals while Lainee Carmean collected three ground balls and caused two turnovers. In net, Mikaila Stone made six saves on 25 shots in 45 minutes of play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Despite dropping the first goal, the Flyers took flight as a McKinnon shot at the 11:55 mark found the back of the net to spark a short 4-0 spurt that put Lewis into the lead, 4-1. The visitors got a goal back at 4:21 mark, but that was the last time the red and white surrendered a SVSU goal as they rattled off the final five goals of the quarter to end the frame ahead, 9-2.
The Flyers continued to roll in the second as McKinnon,
Ravyn Jimenez (Navarre, Fla./Navarre High School) and Paterson combined to score the Flyers next four goals to make it a 13-2 contest. Lewis tacked on three more goals before the half ended the enter the locker room with a 16-2 advantage.
Out of the halftime break, Lewis used goals from Paterson, Cappellini and Stack throughout the stanza to extend their lead to 17, 19-2, entering the fourth quarter.
Lewis netted four more goals before the contest ended to secure the 23-2 win.
Victoria Zielinski (Elgin, Ill./Central High School),
Kayla Clark (Round Lake, Ill./Mundelein High School),
Hannah Maxwell (Joliet, Ill./Minooka Community High School) and
Sam Sandefur (Burlington, Ky./Randall K. Cooer High School) accounted for the final four goals of the outing.
GAME NOTES
- The Flyers scored 20-or-more goals for the 10th time in program history
- McKinnon's five caused turnovers are a career-high
- Stack, Sandefur and Maxwell scored their first collegiate goals
- The Flyers won their season-opener for the first time since the 2023 season when they defeated Charleston, 11-9.
UP NEXT
Lewis will head to the Land of 10,000 Lakes to battle Concoria St. Paul. Opening draw is set for Feb. 20 at 6 p.m.
For the latest news, scores, and updates on Lewis women's lacrosse, visit LewisFlyers.com and follow the Flyers on social media at @Lewiswlax Instagram and @LewisWLAX on X.
