HARROGATE, Tenn. – UVa-Wise scored six straight goals midway through the first half and held off a late LMU rally to defeat the Lady Railsplitter lacrosse team 17-12 Wednesday evening at Carl Smith Stadium.
LMU falls to 5-4 on the season while the Cavaliers improve to 6-3.
Amara Moss led LMU with four goals in addition to an assist, for her sixth hat trick of the year.
Erin DePaul also had her sixth hat trick of the season with three goals.
Casey Kelly had two goals and won six draws while
Kennedy Buechner,
Rachel Bernhardt and
Jacquelin Turner each had one goal apiece.
Micayla Starnes started at goalie and led the team with 12 ground balls in addition to her 11 saves.
Kristin Gobbi led the Cavaliers with four goals, followed by Jessie French, Rachel Cole and McKayla Grasham, who had three each. Sydney Steinberg and Charlotte Hess picked up seven ground balls apiece. Melanie Reilly played the entire match in cage, netting eight saves.
LMU took the early lead when Moss scored 28 seconds into the game. Wise's Hannah Marshall evened up the total a minute later. Moss, Turner and Buechner scored three of the next four goals as LMU rolled out to a 4-2 lead. The Cavaliers would score three unanswered goals to take the lead with 16 minutes remaining.
DePaul and Bernhardt scored less than a minute apart, giving LMU the 6-5 lead. The Lady Railsplitters then went cold offensively just as UVa-Wise was heating up as the Cavs scored six straight goals to shoot out to the 11-6 lead late in the half. Kelly would score a goal for the Blue and Gray with a little over a minute left to cut the lead to 11-7 at the half.
The Cavaliers came out shooting and scored four of the first five goals of the second half, with LMU's goal coming from Moss at the 17:29 mark. DePaul and Moss would then score again to pull back to within five, only to see Wise score two goals of their own. Kelly and DePaul would find the back of the net in the final three minutes, but it was not enough as UVa-Wise held on for the 17-12 victory.
Quick Hits
- Kelly, Moss and Buechner are the only three LMU players to score in every game this season.
- LMU falls to 0-5 all-time vs. the Cavaliers.
Up Next
The Lady Railsplitters will return to SAC play Saturday afternoon at Wingate. The Bulldogs are currently 2-8 overall and 1-2 in the SAC. First draw is set for 1 p.m.
