ST. CHARLES, MO – Cal first-year head coach Jennifer Wong may have had to travel more than halfway across the country to get her first win at the helm of the Golden Bears, but it didn't take long once she arrived. Cal (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12) jumped out of the gate with the first five points against Lindenwood (0-1, 0-0 ASUN) in the 2023 season opener for both teams Friday at Hunter Stadium and cruised to a 17-9 victory. Maya Lawliss led the way with a career-high six goals. Mya Wang added five goals in her first game at Cal, while Quinnlyn Mason and Amanda Morse each scored twice, and Kennedy Mason and Elle Anhut picked up one goal apiece.

"I am so proud of this team for buying into the vision and plan for this program," Wong said. "The players worked and studied tirelessly to be able to play the best game possible. Their preparation allowed us to jump out to a quick start and execute."

"Maya Lawliss and Mya Wang have been great in practice so there is no surprise that they had wonderful games," Wong added. "They continually work on their craft and it showed on the field today."

Six different players scored Cal's six goals in the opening period in the order of Quinnlyn Mason, Wang, Morse, Lawliss, Kennedy Mason and Elle Anhut as the Bears led 6-1 after the first 15 minutes.

Wang sandwiched Lawliss' second goal with her own second and third tallies to give Cal a 9-3 lead with 2:17 to go in the first half.

Lindenwood scored the final two goals of the half to get back within 9-5 at the break. Emma Arnold scored two of the Lions' five first-half goals, while Brennan Paddy, Elisabeth Ralph and Logann Eldridge had one each.

Cal squashed Lindenwood's late first-half momentum by scoring the first four goals of the second half with two tallies from Morse, one from Lawliss and one from Quinnlyn Mason, but the Lions would again close out the quarter strong in the third with the final two scores from Arnold and Ralph to get within 13-7 at the end of three but would never get any closer.

Cal scored four of the six goals in the fourth quarter with three coming from Lawless and one from Wang. Arnold picked up her fourth and final goal in the fourth while Lexy Biller had her lone tally.

Quinnlyn Mason had three of the game's seven assists of the 26 goals. Morse and Kate Rothman also had one each for the Bears, while Biller and Sam Irwin had one apiece for the Lions.

Riley Drullinger was the winning goalkeeper for the Bears, recording five saves in 60:41 minutes. Alicia Souliotis got 14:19 minutes of work in during the fourth quarter and picked up a pair of saves.

"It was really exciting to start off with a team win," Lawliss said. "Jen Wong has done so much for this program and taught us so much over these past few months. That took every single player on our roster to win that game and was a great way to start the year."

"Winning our first game under Jen Wong feels amazing to say the least, as it really shows all the hard work we have put in, our excitement for this new era, and all the love we have for each other," Wang added. "This being my first collegiate game and getting to experience all of the adrenaline that comes with scoring my first collegiate goals is a surreal experience to say the least. As a proud thyroid cancer survivor and having to sit out last year due to treatment, I had expected fears of not being able to perform this year. However, stepping out on the field and being surrounded by such a supportive environment gave me the confidence to perform. and it truly feels good to be back. I look forward to what's to come with this special team."

The game was played in front of 1077 fans that witnessed Lindenwood in its first game as a Division I program after moving up from the Division III ranks.

"Lindenwood did a great job of marketing and hosting their first Division I game," Wong said. "The stands were packed and the atmosphere was amazing. It's awesome for the state of Missouri and continuing to grow lacrosse across the country."

Cal plays a neutral site game on Sunday against Central Michigan also at Lindenwood's Hunter Stadium. First draw is Noon MT/10 am PT. The game will be Central Michigan's season opener.