ANNVILLE, PA (March 6, 2021) -- The King's College women's lacrosse team opened its 2021 season Saturday afternoon, marking the first time in over a year that the Monarchs had donned the red and gold in a competition. King's matched its hosts Lebanon Valley 6-6 in the second half, but a fast start by the Dutchwomen pushed them to a 19-9 win in Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) crossover play from Arnold Field. 

King's was slow out of the gate during the first half, as LVC (1-0) scored the first 10 goals of the game before junior Natasha Koslop scored her first of the game with help from senior MK Klodarska. Junior Bailey Jordan tallied unassisted and classmate Emily Sims finished a pass from Jen O'Connor as the Monarchs trailed 13-3 at the break. 

After halftime, King's would play right with the Dutchwomen as senior Emma Lehman scored unassisted to start the second stanza. Lebanon Valley answered with five goals in a row before sophomore Celia Medina tallied to initiate a 5-1 run for Kings. 

Sims scored her second goal of the game with nine minutes left, followed by another from Koslop to trim the lead to 19-7. A woman-up goal to complete the hat trick by Koslop on a nice feed from Jordan continued the run for King's, and senior Kylie McCarthy also posted her first of the season with just under two minutes to go to finish the scoring. 

Sims posted three ground balls and two draw controls in addition to her two scored, and Klodarska also had two draw controls and two loose ball pickups. O'Connor led the Monarchs with four draw controls and a caused turnover, and Brynn Pike posted a caused turnover as well. 

King's split the reps in goal today as all three goalkeepers got playing time, with Jessie Smalley making eight saves in 30 minutes of play. Senior Orla Cottell and newcomer Sidney Horvath combined to make three saves in the second half. 

LVC was paced by the nine points from Brittany Hathaway on five goals and four assists, and Veronica Venezia added three goals and five helpers. Julia Abendschoen made two saves in cage for the Dutchwomen. 

The host Dutchwomen outshot King's 35-15 on the day, while earning a 19-10 edge on draw controls. The Monarchs also struggled to hold onto the ball, committing 22 turnovers to just eight from LVC. 

King's will return to action next Saturday, traveling to No. 9 York College at 1 p.m. for non-conference play against the Spartans in York, PA.