March 30, 2000

DAVIDSON, N.C. -- The Davidson College Wildcats, bolstered by three hat-trick performances, earned a 13-8 come-from behind victory over the Golden Bears of California in women's lacrosse action on Thursday afternoon at Richardson Stadium.

Davidson fell behind early once again in the first half and was forced to play catch-up. After trailing 5-4 at the half, the Wildcats came out on fire, scoring the first four goals of the half. Two of the goals came from junior Stephanie Hunter while sophomore Sarah Otto and Lauren Kenchington each added one. After taking an 8-5 lead, Cal struck back closing the gap to 8-6 -- it was the closest the Golden Bears would get for the rest of the game.

Cheringon and Otto extended the lead to 10-6 with goals at the 17:05 and 16:49 marks respectively. Hunter and Otto each added a final tally on the afternoon to give Davidson a 12-6 lead. Goals by Alana Dunnigan and Monger with under 10 minutes remaining gave the Golden Bears life as the game came to a close, but a final Kenchington goal sealed the Davidson victory with 6:52 remaining.

Laura Kado and Halsey Monger scored the first goals of the game less than 30 seconds apart to give Cal an early 2-0 lead. Sophomore Molly Cherington scored her first goal of the afternoon with just over 20 minutes left in the first half to cut the lead to one, 2-1.

After a Golden Bear goal extended the lead back to two, Lauren Kenchington and Stephanie Hunter each scored goals to know the score at three. Beth Calder's goal with 6:05 left in the first off a pass from Cherington was the only other goal the 'Cats would score in the first 30 minutes of action.

Davidson senior Lisa Benjamin recorded 10 saves in the losing effort while California goalie Eden Coelho made 23 stops on the afternoon. Benjamin faced 15 shots compared to the 34 attempted on Harrison.

With her goal at the 23:13 mark of the second half, Kenchington scored her 100th career point. She is only the fourth player in Wildcats history to reach that milestone.

The 'Cats (3-4) head north the University of Richmond for a 1:00 p.m.game on Sunday, April 2 while California concludes its week on the East Coast with a game at Limestone College on Saturday, April 1.

Goals:
Davidson:Stephanie Hunter 4, Lauren Kenchington 3, Sarah Otto 3, Molly Cherington 2, Beth Calder.

California: Laura Kado 2, Halsey Monger 2, Britni Must, Laura Forrest, Joelle LeMoult, Alana Dunnigan.

Assists:
Davidson: S. Otto 2, Calder, Cherington, Emily Rice.

California: Monger 2, Dunnigan, Forrest, Leslie Arndt, Sarah Wheatley.

Saves:
Davidson: Lisa Benjamin 10.

California: Eden Coelho 23.

Scoring Summary:
First Half:

Second Half: