ALLIANCE, Ohio -- Mount Union junior Katie Clark (Hudson / Walsh Jesuit) scored a game-high eight points with four goals and four assists to lead the Purple Raiders to a 13-11 win over Aurora (Ill.) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship Saturday afternoon at Kehres Stadium.
 
Mount Union returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years and picked up its first NCAA victory since 2018.
 
Mount Union, which has now won a game in five of its seven NCAA Tournament appearances, advances to the second round tomorrow at 1 p.m. where it will play a game against No. 19 nationally ranked St. John Fisher.


 
Mount Union (14-4) scored first with a goal from senior Sam Karr (Newark, Del. / Newark Charter) Aurora (17-3) responded with two goals of their own to take a 2-1 lead. Karr responded again to tie the game up but just 41 seconds later Aurora scored another one. With just five second left in the first quarter senior Julia Bates (East Lyme, Conn.) found the back of the net to tie the game up at 3 after one quarter.
 
Aurora got on the board first in the second quarter but Clark responded with two straight goals to take a 5-4 lead. Aurora would get two more goals in the quarter but junior Eden Kesler (Chagrin Falls / Kenston) scored a goal to go into halftime tied.
 
Coming out of the halftime break Bates along with sophomore Emily Funk (Strongsville) got a goal each to push the lead out to 8-6. Aurora responded with two goals in a 49 second span to tie the game back up. Mount Union then scored the final two goals of the quarter to with Bates and Clark scoring one each to lead 10-8.
 
Clark got the scoring going in the fourth quarter giving Mount Union its largest lead of the day at 11-8. Aurora was not done scoring two goals to get within one but a goal from sophomore Mackenzie Kolstad (Victor, N.Y. / Victor Senior) and Kesler put the game away leading 13-10. Aurora got another goal but Mount Union would hold them scoreless the final three minutes to take the 13-11 victory.
 
Senior Madi Karr (Newark, Del. / Newark Charter) picked up four assists in the game as well. Senior Leah Shutts (Buffalo, N.Y. / Amherst Central) led the team with four ground balls and four caused turnovers while Kesler picked up seven draw controls.
 
The Raiders split goalie time with freshman Abby Reagan (Columbus / St. Francis De Sales) picking up the victory with five saves in the game.

In case you didn't know, Katie Clark is built different. Clark registered a game-high eight points in Mount Union's NCAA First Round win, including this sick goal! #GoMountGo pic.twitter.com/1kHUZsow97

— Mount Union Purple Raiders (@purpleraiders) May 13, 2023