ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul women's lacrosse team had its hands full in the 2023 season opener at the Concordia Dome at Sea Foam Stadium, falling 18-1 to #8 Indianapolis, the defending NCAA Division II champions.

Concordia looks to bounce back with a Sunday afternoon game on the road, heading to Quincy University in Quincy, Illinois at 1 p.m.

The Golden Bears and Greyhounds went toe-to-toe in the game's opening minutes as CSP held the defending champs scoreless for over five minutes. It appeared CSP had netted the game's first goal, with it waved off due to a foul on the play.

UIndy took the first lead, scoring in the sixth minute, and adding another just over two minutes later for a 2-0 lead. The game remained tight into the closing minutes of the first quarter when the Greyhounds put two more goals in.

Concordia's defense and goaltending continued to hold up, allowing just one goal in the first nine and a half minutes of the second quarter, trailing 5-0. But once again, UIndy finished the quarter strong, putting in back to back goals at 5:36 and 4:51 to play in the half, and adding an eighth goal with 22 seconds before the halftime horn.

In the first half, senior goalie Candace McDole was tested often, but registered seven saves on 15 shots on goal while facing 19 total shots. In the third, CSP allowed only one goal in the first eight-plus minutes of play, once again starting a quarter strong defensively and in the cage.

Playing with a one-player advantage, freshman Lauren Sheets cashed in her first career goal in her debut, cutting it to 9-1 with 7:09 in the third quarter.

By late in the third quarter, McDole held a .500 save percentage with 11 saves and 11 goals allowed before the Greyhounds ran away, scoring their most goals in a quarter on the day with six after putting in four goals in each of the first three frames.

McDole played all 60 minutes, saving 11 shots while nearly securing a double-double with nine ground balls, tied for the second most in a game in school history and matching her own career-high against Lindenwood on February 20, 2022. 

UIndy held the upper hand partially due to its dominance in the center circle with a 15-6 advantage on draw controls with Mekayla Montgomery leading all players with six while Kara Antonucci had four - both reigning IWLCA All-America First Team performers a year ago.

The duo were part of a defensive effort that held Concordia to just seven total shots, four on goal and forced CSP into 27 turnovers and just 10-17 on clearance attempts.

Combined with their play on the draw and on defense, it helped the Greyhounds hold a 34-7 shot margin, including 29-4 on frame.

Freshman Susie Monson was CSP's top shot-taker with three including one on goal, also adding a pair of draw controls and a ground ball. Freshman Kayleigh Nelson matched her two draw controls to pace the team, while adding a caused turnover.

The defense was sparked by freshman Claire Flahaven's three caused turnovers while sophomore Meghan McGowan added two caused turnovers and two ground balls, with sophomore Paige Nicklaus securing a pair of ground balls.

The Concordia starting lineup on opening day included six true freshmen, five sophomores and a senior goalie.

UIndy was led by six-point performances from Quinn Malcolm (3g, 3a) and Megan Dunn (1g, 5a) while Olivia Bladon and Anna Ziemba each had four goals.