by Mackenzie McMahon

The Hope College women's lacrosse team opened their 2022 season with a comeback win over Siena Heights, 16-14, on Wednesday at Van Andel Soccer Stadium. 

After the first quarter, the Flying Dutch were tied 5-5 with the Huskies after Kerrigan Brown (DeWitt, Michigan / DeWitt HS), Payton Pilarski (Livonia, Michigan / Winston Churchill), Elena Salazar, Molly Frederickson and Madison McCreery (Rockford, Michigan / Rockford) fired home their first goals of the season. 

Two quarters gone, and Hope College was a nose ahead of Siena Heights, 8-7. Salazar, a native of Howell, Michigan (Hartland), would tie the game seconds after the Huskies had grabbed their sixth goal of the game. Madison Micho would collect her first point of the game on Salazar's second goal. Frederickson (Alto, Michigan / Lowell) would tally her second of the game to give the Flying Dutch a step up, but Siena Heights would tie things up, again, two minutes later. Salazar, pictured right, with seven seconds remaining in the second quarter, found open net and gave the lead back to the orange and blue to end the first half. 

Siena Heights started the third quarter with two goals just a minute apart to regain the lead with 9:22 to play. Frederickson put in the only Hope goal midway through the quarter, while Siena Heights put up two more goals to lead 11-9 going into the final quarter of the game. 

A one goal game is what it became after Frederickson snagged her third goal in the season and home opener just a minute into the fourth quarter. Siena Heights put up two more quick goals to take what one would think is a commanding lead with 12 minutes left in the game. However, Hope College began their climb as Sophie Ackerman (East Grand Rapids, Michigan / East Grand Rapids) soared one past the Huskies' goaltender after a pass from Micho, and a minute later, Salazar notched her fourth goal, unassisted, to bring Hope within one. The Huskies found their final goal of the game at the 9:50 mark, and the Flying Dutch would put up four unanswered goals to finish their comeback win. Brown would start the flurry of goals, then Micho added a goal to her point collection. Kristen Szost (Jenison, Michigan / Jenison International Academy) and Ackerman would tally assists on the two goals for Hope that came 19 seconds apart. Ackerman grabbed her third point of the game on Hope's fifteenth goal of the game. Micho would find a goal with 1:11 remaining to seal the deal, 16-14, with help from Ackerman. 

"It was such a great comeback, I think we played like we knew how to play at the end of the game after we got out our jitters. Our sophomore class in Molly Frederickson and Elena Salazar really stepped it up. It was great to see us pull out the win", said head coach Keagan Pontious. 

A sophomore from Rockford, Michigan (Rockford), Madison Yakes, was in net for the Flying Dutch, and had 17 shots on goal in the home opener. 

The Flying Dutch are back in action on Saturday as they take on Carroll (WI) at home at Van Andel Soccer Stadium with a 2:00 p.m. start time.