FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's lacrosse team moved to 2-0 for the first time since 2018 after a home opening victory Radford on Sunday, 16-8. 
 
The Patriots (2-0) were led by Dahlia Trippel, who scored a hat trick and assisted on one goal, and Chloe Reed, who added a hat trick of her own. 
 
Radford (0-1) opened the game on two quick goals, but Trippel finally got the first Patriot ball in the net at the 10:49 mark. In addition to goals from Reed and Morgan Gunn, it was Kaitlyn Bestick's man-down goal at the 4:42 mark in the first quarter that gave the Patriots the lead, one which they held on to for the rest of the game. 
 
It was all Mason in the middle two frames, as the hosts held the Highlanders to just one goal over 30 minutes. Radford's Mady Cheney scored one of her game-high five goals at the 5:35 mark of the second to cut the Mason lead to two, but the Patriots responded with a 6-0 run over the next 20+ minutes to take a 13-5 lead at the end of the third.
 
A heavily penalized fourth quarter gave both teams the opportunities to score 3 goals each, but the Patriots held their comfortable eight-goal lead throughout en route to the 16-8 victory.
 
PATRIOT POINTS

• Six Patriots totaled multiple goals: Reed (3), Trippel (3), Bestick (2),  Payton Farley (2), Shannon Tuozzo (2), and Gunn (2)
• Mason also put up 23 shots on goal to Radford's 11
• The Patriots dominated the draw controls, winning 18 of the game's 27
• Lauren Distad and Tuozzo led the Patriots in draw controls with 7 a piece
• Goalie Meghan Deehan played all 60 minutes, posting three saves and a caused turnover

 
UP NEXT
Mason will head to Kent University to face the Golden Flashes on Saturday, Feb. 17. Opening draw is set for 1 p.m.