Kent State University
7-6, 1-1
Mercyhurst
3-7, 3-1
Dominant First Half Fuels Flashes’ Victory at Mercyhurst
4/2/2025 7:26:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
ERIE, Pa. – The Kent State lacrosse team battled the elements on Wednesday evening for a decisive 14-8 road victory at Mercyhurst. The Flashes (6-6, 1-1) had three players score hat tricks in the contest as they cruised to the win in the team's penultimate non-conference game of 2025.
A strong first half saw the Flashes score the game's first eight goals before taking a 13-2 advantage into the half. Zayda Crumpton opened the scoring less than a minute into the tie through a Morgan Halli assist before Allie Lee found the back of the net off of a Megan Cook pass. Halli then opened her own goal-scoring account followed by Crumpton's second of the game to establish a 4-0 Kent State advantage in the contest's opening five minutes.
The hot start for the Flashes continued as Halli grabbed her second goal of the game to give Kent State a 5-0 advantage. Minutes later, Riley Floyd found the net twice within 90 seconds before Crumpton completed a first-quarter hat trick to give the Flashes an 8-0 lead. Mercyhurst broke Kent State's game-opening run by getting on the board with just seconds remaining in the opening quarter to make the scoreline 8-1 after the first quarter.
The Flashes picked up where they left off as the second quarter commenced, opening the period with five unanswered goals. Crumpton added to her first-quarter hat trick with back-to-back goals assisted by Lee followed by Halli completing her own hat trick mid-way through the quarter. Meghan Haddow proceeded to score her third goal of the season before Eva Anderson opened her season account through a woman-up goal with four minutes remaining in the half. The Lakers found their second goal of the game with 28 seconds remaining in the quarter as the teams headed to the halftime break with a 13-2 scoreline in favor of Kent State.
Mercyhurst opened the scoring in the second half before Floyd completed her hat trick to conclude the scoring for both teams in what was a relatively uneventful third quarter. The Lakers added five goals in the fourth quarter, which proved to only be a consolation as Kent State left Erie with a 14-8 victory.
Crumpton's five goals bring her season total to 27, now the most on the team. Halli and Floyd's hat tricks improved their season totals to 16 and 14 respectively. Lee was the only Flash with multiple assists on the day, registering two, while Sidney Dering's four draw controls bring her to within three of the century mark for her career. Dering also led the Flashes defensively with three caused turnovers, while Syndey Davis recorded three saves in one half of action to earn her sixth win of the season.
MAC play resumes for Kent State on Sunday with a huge rivalry matchup as the team heads down the road to face Akron. Opening draw is slated for noon.
FOLLOW THE FLASHES
For complete coverage of Kent State Lacrosse, download the official Kent State Golden Flashes app (iOS, Android) and follow the Golden Flashes on social media on X and Instagram for news and updates.
