GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College women's lacrosse team opened its 2026 campaign Tuesday with a 16-5 loss to Missouri Western State University in neutral-site action.
Missouri Western improved to 3-1 on the season, while Fort Lewis moved to 0-1 and will have two weeks to prepare for its next contest on March 10.
The Griffons controlled possession throughout the afternoon, holding a 17-6 advantage in draw controls that translated into a 27-13 edge in shots on goal. Despite the possession disparity, the Skyhawks' defense forced 18 turnovers and received 11 saves in goal, finishing 15-of-22 on clear attempts.
Senior Samantha Rodgers anchored the defensive effort with seven caused turnovers and six ground balls, adding a goal on the offensive end. Sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Tilbury was active throughout, totaling 11 saves, six ground balls, and three caused turnovers. Senior Diamond Velasco paced the offense with two goals and an assist, while junior Grace Butler and senior Valerie Garcia each added a goal. Junior Piper Price, last season's leading assister, dished out two assists.
Missouri Western struck quickly, building a 2-0 lead in the opening minute. After an early caused turnover by Rodgers shifted momentum, Fort Lewis generated opportunities from Powless and Nguyen before breaking through at the 11:22 mark, when Kelcie Bolling finished an assist from Nguyen to make it 3-1. Tilbury kept the Griffons at bay with several key saves, and Garcia's goal midway through the quarter trimmed the deficit to 3-2. Missouri Western responded with a late score to carry a 4-2 advantage into the second.
The Griffons extended their lead in the second quarter, capitalizing on turnovers and fouls to spark a 4-0 run and move ahead 8-2. Fort Lewis answered when Price found Butler in transition to cut the margin to 8-3, but the Skyhawks went into halftime trailing by five.
Missouri Western continued to control draws and possession in the third, using a series of fouls and transition opportunities to push the lead to 13-3 late in the period. Fort Lewis created late chances in the quarter but entered the final 15 minutes facing a double-digit deficit.
In the fourth, caused turnovers by Tilbury and Velasco led to Velasco's second goal of the game. The Griffons answered with three consecutive scores to stretch the lead to 16-4 before Velasco closed the run with her third point of the afternoon in the final two minutes. Tilbury recorded another save and freshman Adalyn Murray forced a caused turnover in the closing seconds to wrap up the contest.
