QUINCY, Ill. – A dominant first quarter by Quincy University set the tone as the Fort Lewis College women's lacrosse team (1-4) fell 18-5 in a road matchup against the Hawks (3-3).

Quincy held a 30-21 advantage in shots and forced 24 turnovers against Fort Lewis. The Skyhawks were 12-of-18 on clears, while the Hawks finished 16-of-19. Despite the loss, Fort Lewis had the edge in draw controls, winning 14-of-11.

Senior Phoebe Ramirez led the Skyhawks with two goals, while freshman Jasmine Nguyen, junior Zoi Delgado, and sophomore Victoria Barletta each contributed one. Senior Diamond Velasco collected three ground balls, and junior Samantha Rodgers controlled four draws. In goal, senior Caley Lay played 45 minutes and recorded six saves.

The Skyhawks struggled out of the gate, quickly falling behind 5-0 with six minutes remaining in the first quarter. Ramirez put Fort Lewis on the board at the 4:40 mark, scoring off an assist from Price, but Quincy responded immediately to maintain its five-goal lead. The Hawks continued their aggressive play, winning the next draw and converting for another goal. By the end of the first quarter, the home team held a commanding 9-1 advantage.

Fort Lewis opened the second quarter on a high note, capitalizing on a woman-up opportunity after an early yellow card. Nguyen found the back of the net off a precise pass from Delgado, marking her 13th goal of the season and cutting the deficit to 9-2. The Skyhawks followed with three consecutive defensive stops, and Ramirez added her second goal of the game. However, Fort Lewis couldn't sustain the momentum, going scoreless for the final 11 minutes of the quarter, while Quincy tacked on three more goals to take a 12-3 lead into halftime.

Quincy extended its lead early in the third quarter, scoring twice in the first four minutes by capitalizing on Skyhawk turnovers and fouls. Fort Lewis had another woman-up opportunity at the nine-minute mark, and Delgado made it count, burying a shot to bring the score to 14-4. The Skyhawks put two more shots on goal, but both were saved by the Quincy keeper. A final goal from the Hawks in the closing moments of the quarter extended their lead to 15-4 heading into the final period.

The fourth quarter remained scoreless for the first six minutes until a green card gave Quincy another scoring opportunity, pushing the lead to 16-4. Barletta responded for Fort Lewis, finding the back of the net off a well-placed pass from Ava Postal to notch the team's fifth goal. However, Quincy's defense held strong, with their keeper adding more saves to keep the Skyhawks from closing the gap. The Hawks added two more goals down the stretch, sealing an 18-5 victory.

Fort Lewis (1-5) will conclude its nonconference schedule on Monday against Rockhurst University (6-1). The Hawks enter the matchup riding a three-game winning streak, including a dominant 23-4 victory over Wheeling University.