Blue Devils hold Eagles scoreless in first half

UW-La Crosse 4, UW-Stout 0

MENOMONIE (October 17, 2018) - With a solid defense, UW-Stout kept UW-La Crosse scoreless in the first half, but the Blue Devils could not repeat the feat in the second half as the high-flying Eagles scored four goals in the second half for a 4-0 win Wednesday at Nelson Field.

The 24th-ranked Eagles (12-2-1, 5-0-0 WIAC) outshot Stout (2-11-1, 0-5-0 WIAC) 10-0 in the first half and the Blue Devils' Melissa Ferrise, making her second collegiate start, turned away six shots on frame before the break. 

The Eagles kept up the pressure in the second half and Margaret Harings broke the scoreless tie four minutes into the second frame. Hannah Beech scored in the 78th minute, Alex Graeber in the 81st minute and Harings closed out the scoring with 25 seconds remaining in the contest. 

Ferrise finished with the chilly night with 10 saves as the Eagles outshot Stout, 25-2, overall. The Blue Devils' Sam Krugel nearly put Stout on the board as her shot dribbled down the arm of Eagles' goalkeeper Lily Brock, but Brock grabbed the ball on one hop before it crossed the line. Brock finished with one save.

The Blue Devils return to action Saturday, Oct. 20 when they travel to UW-Whitewater for a 3 p.m. contest.