University of Louisville
5-5, 2-4ACC
California
5-7, 1-5ACC
Cards Cruise Against California, 12-5
March 21, 2026 | Women's Lacrosse
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Reese Whiteman and her four goals led the University of Louisville lacrosse team to a 12-5 victory over Atlantic Coast Conference foe California on Saturday afternoon inside UofL Lacrosse Stadium.
"Happy with the win, I thought the girls played hard all the way through sixty minutes." Louisville head coach Scott Teeter said following the win.
The Cards (5-5, 2-4 ACC) had eight different players find the back of the net. Whiteman added one assist to her performance, propelling her to a game-high five points. Abby Cole finished the day second for the Cardinals in goals with two.
Charlotte Jackson and Maggie McMahon both recorded two points, a goal and an assist apiece. Rian Adkins and Erin Nicholson also tacked on goals to help UofL's effort. The duo of Cece Reilly and Sophie Macleod each scored their first goals of the season. Assists by Ella Berg and Grayce Kitchen rounded out the Cardinals point producers.
A goal by Whiteman just over a minute into the first quarter would be the only action of the period as Louisville led 1-0 after one stanza of play.
Jackson and Nicholson each sent one past the keeper to extend the UofL lead to 3-0. California (5-7, 1-5 ACC) got on the board just before half to make it a 3-1 Cardinals lead going into the break.
The third quarter was a more eventful one, as Louisville scored five unanswered goals, giving the Cards an 8-1 lead. Whiteman found the back of the net three times in the third. The Golden Bears finally answered with just over two minutes left in the third quarter, making it an 8-2 UofL lead heading into the final quarter of play.
"Our Offense just wasn't firing, and we got through the second quarter where we built a 3-1 lead, still struggling to run our sets and play with tempo. Challenged the girls at halftime and we found our rhythm in the third quarter and once we found our rhythm it took some pressure off our defense." Teeter later remarked.
Louisville outscored Cal 4-3 in the fourth period. Goals by Adkins and Reilly to start the quarter helped the Cards balloon to an eight-goal lead, UofL's biggest of the day. Scoring was capped off for the day by Macleod, who rifled a shot past the California keeper with under a minute left in the contest to build the Cardinals lead to 12-5.
The Golden Bears were led by Kourtney Wong, who scored two goals. Cal's other offensive contributors were Katie Bloomer, Ashleigh Masterson, and Alina Hsu with a goal apiece. Avery Hoeft and Emily Moes each finished with an assist. On defense, the keeper, Lulu Murphy, finished with 10 saves.
Cards goalie Haley Richards nabbed 16 saves, increasing her season total to seven games with double-digit stops. Cate Kangas had four draw control victories, helping the Cardinals edge out Cal 11-8 in the circle. Louisville freshman Avery Johnston had six ground balls and three caused turnovers, leading all participants in both categories.
Up Next: UofL is back in action on Wednesday, hosting Vanderbilt for a noon start inside Louisville Lacrosse Stadium.
