CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Davis & Elkins women's lacrosse fired home six unanswered markers in the first half to move in front for good in a 15-11 season-opening road win on Wednesday night at Charleston (W.Va.). 

The scoring stretch turned a 4-1 deficit into a 7-4 lead for Davis & Elkins (1-0), which was in action for the first time since March 11, 2019. From there, Davis & Elkins locked things down against Charleston (1-2), taking an 8-6 lead into the halftime break. 

Taylor Baker had a game-high five goals on six shots for D&E, while Paige Graff and Emily Smith added four markers each. Graff also passed out a pair of assists to finish with a game-high six points on the evening, collecting two ground balls and winning two ground controls in an impressive D&E debut. 

Marissa Cuevas had some timely stops for the Senators in her collegiate debut, making 10 saves on the evening. Sarah Zapata had a strong outing defensively with seven ground balls and five caused turnovers. 

UC held a slight 27-26 edge in shots, but the Senators scooped up five more ground balls (23-18) and were a perfect 15-15 on clears. 

The Golden Eagles had a 4-1 lead before D&E found its footing. Angelina Horan got the surge started at 15:22 in the first half and Cuevas stopped a Tess Yuhas attempt off the ensuing draw control. 

Off a turnover, Smith cashed in on a free position attempt at 13:59 before Baker tied the score at four. Graff lifted D&E to its first lead of the night at 5-4 and two more markers capped the run for a 7-4 advantage. UC trimmed the deficit to 7-6 until the Senators received the final goal of the half from Smith at 3:52. 

Baker found the net twice more in the early portions of the second half, finishing passes from Hanna Bond and Graff, to move ahead 10-6. D&E continued to dictate the play and ballooned the lead to 11-7 with another Smith tally at 15:44. UC had the final two goals of the night, but it wasn't enough as D&E had mounted a large enough cushion to hold on for the 15-11 final. 

Davis & Elkins is back on the road on Sunday, March 28 for a matchup with West Virginia Wesleyan at 3:00 PM.