Thanks in part to a pair of goals and as assist from senior forward Sydney Simone, Lake Forest posted a 4-3 victory over Bethel University Friday night.
All three of Simone's points came on game-tying goals. Bethel scored first at the 12:09 mark of the opening period but Simone netted her second shorthanded score of the season just 1:41 later with junior forward Megan Lyke picking up an assist. The Royals then converted that same power play opportunity just 54 seconds later to regain the lead and the score remained 2-1 for the rest of the period.
Simone's second tally of the game and fourth this season came at the 3:58 mark of the second stanza and knotted the score at two. She was assisted by freshman forward Stokli Ashcraft. Bethel, however, pulled ahead once again with 4:15 left in the period.
Less than a period after earning the first point of her career, Ashcraft scored for the first time as a Forester just 39 seconds into the final period. Simone set up the goal for her third point of the night and first assist of the year.
The score remained 3-3 until Forester freshman defenseman Karya Dean lit the lamp with 2:24 on the clock. The unassisted score was her second of the season and the first official game-winner of her career.
The Royals' goaltender exited the ice for an extra attacker with nearly a minute-and-a-half remaining but Lake Forest held on for the victory.
The Foresters had a 39-20 edge in shots on the night so senior goaltender Jacque Rogers needed to make just 17 saves to increase her program record win total over the last four years to 41.
Lake Forest is now 5-5-1 on the season while Bethel fell to 3-7-0.
The game was played at Hamline University, the Foresters' opponent in Saturday's 3:00 game.
