BELOIT, Wis. – On Monday, March 27 the College of Saint Benedict lacrosse team (1-1), led by five goals from Grace Fitzgibbons, made history by recording its first-ever win in impressive fashion and on the road.

In a dominating 14-4 win over Beloit (2-3), the Bennies, which had hat tricks or better from Fitzgibbons, Emma Schrepfer, and Shauna Miller, opened an 8-2 lead at halftime and then had a 6-2 edge in the second half.

CSB Head Coach Patrick Crandall earned his first career win as the Bennies had control from the start. Fitzgibbons, a first year from Minneapolis, Minn., had a memorable effort. She scored four goals in the first half as the Bennies led, 8-2. Then she added another in the fourth quarter and, with an assist, totaled six points. She scored her five goals in just seven shots.

CSB also had three goals from both Schrepfer, who added two assists, and Miller while Emma Osland tallied two goals. The Bennies scored nearly three times as many goals as they did in the 16-5 loss at UW-River Falls in the opener. Tonight, Osland, Miller, Schrepfer, and Annika Anderson all tallied career first goals. Overall, CSB had a 41-to-14 margin on shots, totaled eight assists, recorded six saves and had seven ground balls. Meanwhile, Beloit had 23 saves and seven ground balls.

"We played great as a team tonight," said first-year head coach Patrick Crandall, who was hired in December of 2021 after CSB announced in October 2021 that it planned to start a varsity lacrosse program. "We had greatly improved play from the first game. Grace (Fitzgibbons) showcased her speed and helped us off to a fast start. We learned how effective we can be as a team. They are learning as they rely on each other, the success on the field comes. It is a team mentality which we had tonight and really was the key," he said.  

On this memorable night, Crandall noted the importance of the first win. "It means a lot for the program," said Crandall, whose team will play its first conference match in the Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference at Hamline on April 2. "It is important for Saint Benedict. It shows where we can go as we work hard and play with heart," he said.

Scoring Summary --
Early in the first period, Osland scored her first career goal off an assist from Schrepfer as the Bennies grabbed their first lead in program history with a 1-0 advantage at the 13:35 mark. Shortly thereafter, the home team answered for a 1-1 tie.

At that point, Fitzgibbons, a first year from Minneapolis, Minn., took over. She scored the first of her five goals at 3:51 of the quarter for a 2-1 lead. Then after a second goal from Paige Airaudi of Beloit, Miller had her first-career goal at 2:59 for a 3-2 lead. That was the score at the break as Bennies had first lead after a quarter in program history.

At 14:28 of the second quarter, Fitzgibbons had her second goal of the night after an assist from Schrepfer for a 4-2 lead. After a third goal by Fitzgibbons (7:29) and a second by Osland (assist by Ella Steinke) with a first from Annika Anderson (5:59, assist from Steinke), the Bennies jumped to a 7-2 lead with three goals over a 1:30 span. Ella Steinke, who had a pair of goals in the opener, had assists on two of the three goals. Fitzgibbons closed the half with her fourth goal off an assist from Anderson for an 8-2 lead with 2:21 left to play. Once again, CSB had a first as they led at halftime for the first time in program history.

In the third quarter, Schrepfer recorded her first career goal off an assist by Jenna Timm for a 9-2 lead at the 13:13 mark. It was Timm's first-ever points. Beloit drew within 9-3 at the 7:39 mark on a goal from Cassidy Felix with their first goal since the first quarter. CSB held that six-goal advantage as they had a dominating lead after three quarters.

In the fourth quarter, CSB had a 5-2 advantage as they put their finishing touches on the program's first-ever victory.

At the 12:50 mark of the fourth quarter, Schrepfer tallied another score for the Bennies – her second of the game – on a free position shot for a 10-3 lead. With 8:43 left, Miller had her second goal of the game off an assist from Fitzgibbons. Then, Fitzgibbons had another goal on a free position shot for a 12-3 lead. In the final three minutes, CSB added two more tallies. Schrepfer scored her third goal of the night off an assist by Presley Kraemer at the 3:24 mark. With 30 seconds left, Miller had her hat trick with a goal for a 14-4 lead.