WASHINGTON (March 2, 2025) - Howard University lacrosse fell to George Mason, 19-7, Sunday afternoon after a second-quarter surge from the Patriots inside Greene Stadium.
 
George Mason (5-2) opened the scoring with a quick goal less than a minute into play.
 
Mason's Daniella Jimenez tacked on two more goals to secure the hat trick, giving the Patriots a 3-0 advantage.
 
Mason posted another goal before the close of the opening quarter for a 4-0 lead.
 
With 2:20 left in the first quarter, standout rookie Leah Croom (Miami) connected with the back of the net to put the Bison on the board, 4-1. Moments later, Marley Rhymes (Coatesville, Pa.) closed the deficit, 4-2, with an unassisted shot to the net.
 
After scooping her first groundball of the match, sophomore Chloe Ronsholdt (Stafford, Va.) inched the Bison closer with her second goal of the season, just 46 seconds into the second quarter, 4-3.
 
Between the HU defense thwarting multiple Patriot attempts and the offense connecting plays, the Bison applied pressure on both ends of the field. Feeling the pressure, Mason scored back-to-back goals to pull away, 6-3.
 
With an assist from fellow freshman Kyla Newkirk (Durham, N.C.), Croom notched her second goal of the game to put the Bison back within two scores, 6-4.
 
Mason netted three more goals, spearheaded by Jimenez, for a 9-4 lead.
 
Needing to stop the surge, Newkirk posted her first goal of the game, 9-5.
 
With 2:44 left in the first half, Mason's Dahlia Trippel notched consecutive goals to push the Patriots to a six-goal advantage, 11-5. Mason posted three more goals before the close of the half for a 14-5 lead.
 
The Bison defense kept the Patriots at bay for the first seven minutes of the second half before Mason broke through for a 10-point advantage, 15-5. Two more shots from Mason pushed the margin to 12 goals after three, 17-5.
 
The Patriots posted their 18^th goal three minutes into the final quarter, but Howard quickly responded with a goal of their own a minute later -marking Newkirk's second of the day, 18-6. The Patriots worked in their final goal off a free position shot for a 19-6 score, but Newkirk secured her first collegiate hat trick with less than 1:30 left in the game for a 19-7 finish.
 
The Bison recorded 10 saves to George Mason's five. Freshman duo Taylor Williams (West Chester, Pa.) and Madeline Willocks (Freeport, N.Y.) split time in the net. Starting goalie Willocks recorded four saves in the feat while teammate Williams recorded six saves, finishing with a .545 save percentage.
 
The Bison are back in action Wednesday (March 5) at 1 p.m., when they face Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va.
 
For the latest updates, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.