WHEELING, WV – The University of Charleston lacrosse team bounced back in dominant fashion, rolling past Wheeling University with an emphatic 18-7 road win on Wednesday afternoon. Six different Golden Eagles found the back of the net as UC returned to the win column in style.

The Basics:

• Location: Bishop Schmitt Field
• Score: UC 18, WU 7
• Records: UC 10-5 (4-2 MEC), WU 6-6 (4-3 MEC)

How it Happened: 

Coming off a tough loss to Frostburg State, Charleston came out with urgency—and it showed early. Less than two minutes in, Madison Partridge opened the scoring with the first of her six goals on the day. Just moments later, Willow Cooper added another on a free position shot, putting UC up 2-0. Wheeling responded with two quick goals to tie things up midway through the quarter, but UC wasn't rattled. Darby Stolz put the Golden Eagles back in front just before the first-quarter horn.

The second quarter started as a back-and-forth affair, but midway through the period, UC hit their stride. Partridge scored back-to-back goals within 20 seconds to spark a run. After Wheeling got one back, Partridge answered again, and Alyse Weber capped the half with a free-position goal to give Charleston a 9-5 lead heading into the break.

UC took complete control in the third. Goals from Stolz, Weber, and—you guessed it—Partridge extended the lead to 11-4. Both teams added two more each, sending the game into the final quarter with UC comfortably ahead, 13-6.

Charleston wasted no time putting the game out of reach. Cooper scored twice in the opening minutes of the fourth without Wheeling even touching the ball. Hayden Slinkard followed with a goal of her own, and Weber added two more free-position scores to seal the deal. Wheeling managed a late goal, but it wasn't nearly enough to stop UC's momentum.

The Golden Eagles go to 10-5 overall, 4-2 in conference play with the victory. Madison Partridge led the way with 6 goals in a standout performance. Willow Cooper was a force on both ends, finishing with 3 goals, 4 caused turnovers, and 5 ground balls.

Up Next:
Charleston returns home for their final regular season matchup at the Welch Athletic Complex on Saturday, April 19 at 12 PM.