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MARQUETTE — Led by another record-breaking performance from sophomore Josie Lakosky, the Northern Michigan University women’s lacrosse team got back on track at home on Saturday afternoon, breaking open a close game in the second half to dominate Lewis University to the tune of a 20-9 victory for its sixth straight victory over the Illinois-based Flyers.

After opening the season with three straight wins, the Wildcats took a spring break road trip to Illinois and Missouri and lost two of three, including one to national No. 5 Maryville.

Now NMU has improved to 5-2 with the opening of the GLIAC season looming this weekend. Northern travels to Allendale at 7 p.m. Friday to take on, not the Grand Valley State Lakers who reside there, but the University of Indianapolis for their final nonconference encounter before the league season opens two days later at University Center against Saginaw Valley State at 11 a.m. Sunday, the starting time listed on the SVSU athletics website.

Northern Michigan University’s Josie Lakosky, No. 1 at center, is embraced by her Wildcats’ teammates after she scored her second goal in the first quarter of a college lacrosse game played against Lewis at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Saturday. (Journal photo by Caden Sierra)

On Saturday, Lakosky broke an NMU record she just set a few games ago — most points by a single player in one game. This time, she accumulated 13 points on seven goals and six assists after putting together 10 points vs. Missouri Western on March 7.

Thanks to Lakosky, the Wildcats started out strong, with Lakosky opening the scoring less than three minutes in. Lewis responded within the next minute to tie it up, but the Wildcats answered right back.

Maddi Bast found the back of the net, putting NMU back on top 2-1. The first quarter remained a tight battle, with the teams trading goals so that the score was knotted 3-3 entering the second.

The game remained close throughout the rest of the first half. Lakosky continued her stellar play, netting her third goal of the day barely a minute and a half into the second period, but the Flyers kept fighting, tying the game 4-4, 5-5 and 6-6 before NMU’s offense proved too much.

Lakosky tacked on two more goals just 49 seconds apart before the midpoint of the second, bringing her total to five by halftime, while teammates Sophie Langsdale and Bast each added tallies of their own. With back-to-back goals in the final two minutes of the first half by Langsdale, the Wildcats entered the break leading 10-7.

Whatever halftime adjustments NMU made worked to perfection, with the third quarter all Wildcats. Bast, Taylor Priestley and Camryn Mayer scored before the second half was three minutes old, part of a barrage of nine Northern goals in a row stretching back to Langsdale’s last two of the first half. That extended the Wildcats’ lead to 17-7 before Lewis got one through in the final 90 seconds of the third.

Lakosky continued her historic day in the fourth quarter, capping it off with her seventh goal. The Wildcats kept the pressure on, with Avery Lorinser and Laine Stanton also adding to the final tally.

Bast, Priestley and Langsdale each recorded three-goal hat tricks. NMU’s defense was just as impressive, holding Lewis to just two goals in the second half and forcing multiple turnovers to stifle any chance of a Flyers comeback.

Goaltender Zoe Montgomery was a force in net, making six saves as the ‘Cats outshot Lewis 28-23 overall and 26-15 in shots on goal.

Caden Sierra can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 551. His email address is csierra@nmu.edu.