ST. LOUIS, MO -- Madonna University dropped a 15–5 decision to UHSP on Saturday evening at Lou Fusz in St. Louis, as the Crusaders' second-half surge could not overcome a decisive special-teams and possession advantage by the hosts.
UHSP took control early with a series of free-position and man-up goals, building a 3–1 lead after the first quarter and stretching it to 9–1 by halftime. Madonna's lone first-quarter strike came from Kennedy, who finished a feed from Conrad to cut the deficit to 2–1 at 7:53 of the opening frame before UHSP answered with another tally from Ella Penke.
The second quarter proved to be the turning point. UHSP scored six times in the frame, capitalizing on Crusader penalties and free-position chances. Man-up and free-position goals from Penke, Melanie Doub and Adriana Cain, followed by even-strength strikes from Marisa Podio and Michelle Le, pushed the margin to 9–1 at the break. Madonna struggled to generate sustained pressure in the opening half, limited to one goal on 15 total shots for the game and three free-position attempts overall.
Madonna settled in after halftime and produced its best stretch in the third and fourth quarters, when the Crusaders netted four of their five goals. Conrad opened the second-half scoring for Madonna with a man-up goal at 11:11 of the third, finishing off a feed from Kennedy to make it 10–2. Turner followed at 8:37, converting on a setup from Volpe to bring the Crusaders within 10–3 before UHSP responded with goals from Penke and Podio to restore a double-digit cushion entering the fourth.
The Crusaders continued to battle in the final quarter, scoring twice more. Volpe struck at 6:37 to trim the deficit to 13–4, and Conrad added her second of the night on a free-position opportunity at 4:32, giving Madonna its lone man-up conversion and finishing a multi-goal outing. Conrad led the Crusaders' offense with two goals and one assist, while Kennedy and Volpe each posted a goal and an assist and Turner added a goal. Madonna finished with five goals and three assists on 10 shots on goal.
UHSP's offensive depth and efficiency created the separation on the scoreboard. Sadi Adams paced the hosts with four goals and two assists, Penke matched her with four goals and one assist, and Podio added three goals and two assists, including two free-position strikes. UHSP outshot Madonna 33–15 overall and 27–10 on goal, while converting four power-play goals on seven free-position attempts.
Despite the result, the Crusaders showed resilience in the second half, outscoring UHSP 4–6 over the final two quarters and finding production from multiple attackers. Madonna will look to build on the improved ball movement and late-game scoring as the Crusaders continue their early-season road slate.
