Griffins Host Mavericks on Saturday
The Westminster women's lacrosse team concludes the regular season on Saturday when they host Colorado Mesa in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game at Dumke Field. Opening draw is slated for 1 p.m. with the team honoring its seniors in a ceremony prior to game time.
 
Tickets for the home finale are available at WestminsterGriffins.com/tickets.
 
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on the RMAC network with David Winkworth calling the action. The RMAC Network is available online or by downloading the RMAC Network app on your Roku device. Live stats will also be available during the action.
 
About the Griffins
Westminster enters the regular season finale at 7-4 overall and having alternated wins and losses in the past five outings. The Griffins are 5-3 in RMAC play and have clinched a spot in the RMAC Women's Lacrosse Tournament that will be played May 4-7. They can still finish anywhere from third to sixth depending on results from this weekend.
 
The Griffins are scoring 14.82 goals per game this season while adding 5.91 assists per game. They rank third in the RMAC in scoring offense and fourth in assists. The team attempts 27.45 shots per contest – fourth in the league – and they rank third in the RMAC by scoring on 54.0 percent of their shot attempts.
 
Kira Heiden and Katie Adams are two of the top goal scorers in the conference. Heiden leads the RMAC by averaging 4.00 goals per game while Adams is fourth at 2.82 goals per game. Heiden also leads the conference by averaging 4.55 points per game. Morgan Bakarich is third in the conference at 2.18 assists per game while sitting ninth at 3.64 points per game. Heiden's 6.27 shots per game also lead the league.
 
Westminster leads the RMAC by gathering 16.36 draw controls per game, an average that would rank fourth in the NCAA if the team were eligible for national rankings. They corral 22.82 ground balls per game – second in the conference – while creating 10.64 caused turnovers per game.
 
Heiden leads the RMAC by getting 4.82 draw controls per game. Adams is ninth by claiming 3.27 draw controls per game. Daisy Mele averages 2.91 ground balls per game to rank fourth in the conference.
 
Westminster makes a RMAC-leading 10.36 saves per game while sitting third with a .445 save percentage. Taylor Hekking is sixth in the conference with her .464 save percentage and by recoding 6.36 saves per game.
 
Heiden Climbing
Kira Heiden leads the Griffins with 44 goals and 50 points this season. Her 4.00 goals per game lead the RMAC and would rank fifth in the NCAA. She is first in the conference and 31st nationally by scoring 4.55 points per game while leading the RMAC by taking 6.27 shots per game. She has scored multiple goals in a game nine times with at least four goals in seven games. Heiden is fourth in school history with 144 goals and sits sixth with 35 assists and fifth with 179 points. She is second in team history with 168 draw controls.
 
Adams Streak
Katie Adams is second on the team with 31 goals and she ranks fourth in the RMAC by scoring 2.82 goals per game. When she did not score against Lindenwood, Adams finished tied for the second-longest goal scoring streak in team history with a goal in 27 consecutive games dating back to the 2015 season. Adams leads this year's team with seven free-position goals and 16 caused turnovers. Earlier this season she became the seventh Griffin to reach 100 career points and she is six goals away from becoming the seventh Griffin to score 100 career goals.
 
Bakarich Creating
Morgan Bakarich has at least one assist in all but two games this season and she leads the team with 24 assists. Her 2.18 assists per game rank third in the RMAC and 21st nationally. Bakarich has added 16 goals to rank second on the team with 40 points. Her 3.64 points per game place ninth in the RMAC. Bakarich ranks fourth in school history with 49 career assists and became the eighth player in school history with 100 career points during the last road trip.
 
Hekking Stopping
Taylor Hekking has started all 11 games in goal for the Griffins with 23 consecutive starts since joining the program last season. In 315 minutes this season, Hekking has made 70 saves for a .464 save percentage and 15.44 goals-against-average. She tallied a season-high 12 saves in the loss to Lindenwood on March 18 and is sixth in the RMAC by making 6.36 saves per game. Hekking ranks third in team history with 140 career saves.
 
Opponent Info: Colorado Mesa
• Colorado Mesa enters Saturday at 11-3 overall and winners in eight of their last nine.
• The Mavericks are currently third in the RMAC with a 6-2 record in conference games.
• Jessica Cook leads the team with 38 goals and 51 points.
• Mesa leads the all-time series 7-1 (5-0 in NCAA games) and they defeated the Griffins 18-8 on February 18.
 
Looking Ahead
Next week the Griffins will head for the RMAC Tournament that will most likely be hosted by Regis University in Denver. Westminster will play a quarterfinal game on May 4 with the semifinal on May 5 and the championship on May 7.