CHICAGO – In its first game of the season, the University of Chicago women's lacrosse team braved cold conditions and controlled the pace of play for long stretches in a 14-9 win against visiting Capital University on Wednesday.

The Maroons moved to 1-0 while the Crusaders evened their record at 2-2.

With all the snow removed from the Stagg Field turf, temperatures hovered in the low 30s during the contest. While Capital drew first blood 94 seconds into the game, UChicago had an answer. First-year Katie Large scored twice in a 22-second span to give her team the lead five minutes in. After sophomore Ali Sheehy netted another tally with 22:37 remaining, the two teams exchanged goals 30 seconds apart in the 12th minute of play.

The home team's airtight defense frustrated Capital throughout the first half as attackers couldn't find meaningful penetration in the middle. The Maroons reeled off four-straight scores to go up 8-2. A Crusader breakaway in the dying seconds of the first half made the score 8-3 at the break.

UChicago continued to hold sway in the early phases of the second half, accounting for five of the next six goals scored. Capital tallied four goals over the final nine minutes as the hosts experimented with different lineup combinations, but the game was already out of reach.

In the final stats, the Maroons led the shots category 30-21 and the draw controls 16-9. UChicago converted 16 of 20 clears while the Crusaders went 13 of 18. Free-position went in favor of Capital (4-for-5 versus 2-for-6).

In their collegiate debuts, Anneke Pulkkinen and Large scored three goals apiece. First-year Zoe Torok scored twice off the bench. Sophomore Audrey Kaus tallied two goals and two assists while sophomore Sarah Bloomquist posted one goal and three assists.

Rookie goalkeeper Emily Feigen picked up her first career victory, making four saves with five goals allowed in 46:39 of playing time. First-year Kat Berritto closed out the last 13:21 between the pipes.

NEXT GAME:

• Saturday, Feb. 29 @ 1:00 PM (ET) – UChicago at DePauw University