ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University women's lacrosse team defeated Whittier 10-8 on Saturday to wrap up the regular season on a winning note. Jessica Ricketts broke the all-time draw controls record for Chapman while also scoring three goals.

The Panthers head into the postseason with a win as the No. 3 seed in next week's SCIAC Tournament and will travel to second-seeded Claremont-Mudd-Scipps in the semifinals.

Ricketts and Annika Carlson each scored three goals for Chapman to lead the comeback victory. Carlson also had an assist. Megan Guerra caused four turnovers and picked up three groundballs while Anna Hereu made 12 saves.

Four yellow cards in the first quarter led to Chapman falling into a 3-0 hole after celebrating the final seniors in a pregame ceremony. The Panthers were able to swing momentum in the second quarter as they shutout the Poets and scored six unanswered goals to end the half up 6-3.

Both goalies put up double digit saves to keep their respective teams in the game. Four of Hereu's 12 saves came in the first quarter. Haley Hughes-Gill made 15 saves for Whittier – six of those coming in the fourth as her team mounted a comeback. The Poets earned 10 free position shots and Chapman earned nine. However, both teams converted just three times.

The Poets outscored Chapman 3-1 in the third quarter to climb back within a goal, including the third and fourth of the match for Samantha Nimmo. In the fourth, the Poets continued their run with back-to-back goals to open the quarter and take an 8-7 lead.

The Panthers won the next draw control and Carlson fired in her second goal of the match to bring the Panthers even less than a minute after falling behind. Megan Guerra picked up the next draw control to keep the Panthers in control. After Hughes-Gill saved the first free-position attempt of the possession, Ricketts earned another and converted the opportunity for a 9-8 Chapman lead.

Both goalies shut down multiple attempts over the next nine minutes before Carlson finally broke through with her third goal to add a little insurance to the Panthers lead in the last three minutes. Guerra picked up the next draw control and was turned away on her shot 30 seconds later. However, Whittier turned the ball over on the its final clear attempt and the Panthers ran out the clock.

Chapman takes on CMS in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament Semifinals on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

By Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director