Santa Barbara, CALIF. – Dominican women's lacrosse (4-0) showed shades of dominance during the round robin tournament, going 3-0 over a three-day span in Southern California. 
 
Game One vs The University of Southern California (1-2)
 
Macie Wood scored the game's first goal off a beautifully executed re-defend before eventually finishing the contest with three points. Dominican ended the first quarter of play with a 6-2 lead, with the success continuing into the second quarter as Dominican put up another six goals to later end the half up 12-5. The scoring was led by Morgan Newkirk, Taylor Pieri, Brooke Vafi and Olivia Johnson who all tallied three apiece.
 
"Our offense is something we've focused on since the beginning," Johnson said. "Coach Manna and coach Tucci have implemented systems that allow us to use each player's strengths to our advantage. This weekend helped us click as a unit and it showed in our results."
 
USC battled early in the second half as told by an early score in the third quarter that translated into continued momentum for the Trojans. Dominican missed early opportunities to put the game away before committing turnovers that led to offensive opportunities for USC before the third framed turned into more of a defensive battle than the preceding quarters for the two sides. The defensive ship was often steading by freshman Morgan Dougherty who highlighted her play with a final total of seven caused turnovers while freshman goalie Arin Wilson made nine saves on the day, with most saves squashing any USC hopes of a potential comeback as Dominican walked away with an 18-10 victory.
 
 
Game Two vs Oregon State University (0-3)
 
Dominican took command of this matchup from the first whistle, leaving no doubt who the better team was, a statement proved true by a nine-goal first quarter lead that was also highlighted by the score sheet showing zero shots against.
 
"It's a great opportunity to dip into your bench and develop a roster when you get a matchup like this," Coach Manna said. "It's even more helpful for us because our roster is so young."
 
The scoring for this game was led by Captain America Vizcaino who etched three goals and two assists while Vafi added a pair of goals and assists, contributions that helped Dominican take a 13-1 lead into half. 
 
Freshman Kat Chavez was nearly perfect in net, shutting the door on any opportunity the Beavers had as she showed brilliance while earning a perfect stat line against free position shots ending with seven saves and zero turnovers. Perhaps the highlight of the game came from freshman Zoe Gustafson who sent a scorcher into the back of the net from the eight-meter mark early in the third quarter, adding to the freshman's final stat line of two goals and an assist. 
 
Brielle Rapsas, Jordyn Dangerfield, Addecca Day-Lewis and Gillie Mason all saw their first goals as Dominican athletes in this contest, also helping the Penguins slow the pace of the game before ending with an 18-2 victory. 
 
 
Game Three vs Arizona (1-3)
 
On paper this would be the Penguins' toughest test as the Wildcats were coming off an 18-17 win over former North Division Champion Santa Clara University, but Dominican seemed unfazed as they put points on the board early and often. Arizona played an unconventional backer zone, but the Penguins broke it with ease as they ended the first quarter up 8-0. 
 
Scoring was led yet again by Newkirk who has proven herself in the early stages of the season, showing onlookers why she was an Adrenaline High School All-American. The freshman finished with six goals and an assist on the day while Vafi and Johnson added a combined nine points, with Wood emphasizing her might on the offensive side of the ball with a hat trick as she continued to develop her knack for highlight-worthy goals as she and her team took a 12-0 lead into half time.
 
"This was the first game we played Penguin Lacrosse for an entire 60 minutes — it was creative, fast, aggressive and entertaining" said Coach Manna.
 
The second half showcased the Dominican defense as Wilson put on a goaltending clinic in and out of the pipes, later finishing the game with seven saves with most of the saves deflating the Arizona offense, also ending perfect in the clear game with zero turnovers while also saw leading an aggressive ride game which led to turnovers while also generating great scoring opportunities for Dominican.
 
"What ultimately led to my success this weekend was my confidence in myself, my teammates and my coaches, and their confidence in me. At the end of the day, I'm just lucky enough to have the best people to do it with," Wilson said.

Dominican women's lacrosse is now set to return home to host San Jose State on February 18^th at 2:45 p.m.