The University of Redlands women's lacrosse team returned to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action on Wednesday night, facing off against rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Farquhar Field for Faculty Appreciation Night. After trading goals in the opening minutes, the Bulldogs faced a substantial deficit and never recovered en route to the difficult 5-16 loss to the Athenas.

CMS struck first with a goal less than three minutes into the game. However, the Maroon and Gray evened the score just 1:27 later as sophomore attack player Ashley Finke (Austin, TX) found the back of the net.

Unfortunately, this was the only tie of the game as the Athenas erupted with a six-goal scoring spree to make it a 7-1 game in their favor.

But Redlands continued to fight as senior attack player Mary Shepherd (Dallas, TX) pushed her way past the defense for a goal with 1:04 remaining in the first half.

Nonetheless, CMS capitalized one more time before the break to take a seven-goal lead at 9-2.

During the second half, the Bulldogs played tighter on defense but struggled to shut down the offensive prowess of their opponents, eventually suffering a 5-16 loss.

Junior midfielder Christy Smith (St. Louis Park, MN) notched two goals for Redlands while Finke recorded a second one by connecting on a pass from freshman attack player Aimee Dewan (Alamo, CA).

Freshman defender Jennifer Bryant (Kennebunkport, ME) led the Bulldogs with four ground balls to go along with one caused turnover.

Sophomore Ana Martinez (Pleasanton, CA) patrolled the Redlands goal with seven saves in 60 minutes of action.

The Bulldogs (6-4, 1-1 SCIAC) look to rebound on Saturday as they host Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in a 1 p.m. bout on Farquhar Field. Saturday's match also includes the annual senior celebration prior to the first draw.