Panthers pluck Ducks, 12-7, in Eugene
• HPU held Oregon scoreless over the final 19 minutes and held a 5-1 edge in the second half
• Freshman Molly Andrews registered a career-best 13 saves while allowing just seven goals
• Junior Samantha Brown led the Panthers with six points (3g, 3a)
EUGENE, Ore. – The High Point University women’s lacrosse team (3-2) put together a stifling defensive effort to earn a 12-7, cross-coast victory over Oregon (3-2) Monday night at Pape Field.
HPU led by a goal (7-6) at the half, but overpowered Oregon with a 5-1 margin in the second half to pick up the Panthers’ third-straight win. The Ducks posted just a single goal over the final 18:58 of action.
The Panther defense pestered the Ducks all night long, led by a fabulous performance from freshman Molly Andrews. The Sayville, N.Y., native made a career-best 13 saves while allowing just seven goals in a full 60 minutes in the cage.
Junior captain Christina Del Sesto also put together a strong night with three caused turnovers and three ground balls. Over the past two games, HPU hasn’t allowed a goal in the final 17 minutes of either contest.
“I was most proud of the composure our team kept throughout the game,” head coach Lyndsey Boswell said. “There was some adversity and toughness in play that we overcame. It was a hard-fought game and our defense stepped up huge. Our midfielders were great for us throughout the game, but our low defense gave us the energy and the confidence we needed to go out and pressure them. That was the difference in the game.”
Offensively, junior Samantha Brown put together another monster performance with six points on three goals and three assists while going a perfect 3-for-3 from the free position. Senior Emily Meier posted a hat trick to register her fourth-straight game with at least three points, while freshman Emory Gaeng added a career best two goals.
In the midfield, sophomore Erica Perrotta picked up a team-high four ground balls and tallied a goal, while freshman Samantha Herman grabbed a game-high four draw controls.
HPU held an 11-10 edge at the draw and was +5 (20-15) in ground balls for the game.
The Ducks opened the scoring four minutes into the contest, but scores from Foard and Brown gave HPU a 2-1 lead at the 21:35 mark of the first half. Oregon knotted the score at 2-2 and the teams were tied at 3-3 at the 13:57 mark of the half.
From there, Gaeng notched her second goal, then Perrotta went coast-to-coast for the Panthers to increase the HPU lead to two (5-3) with 10:30 to play in the first. Sophomore Brooke Stevens posted her first career point on an assist to Meier (6-3), but Oregon cut it to 6-4 at the 4:25 mark.
Gaeng tallied her second score to get the lead to three (7-4), but the Ducks posted the final two goals of the half to trail the Panthers by one (7-6) at the break.
Brown tallied a free position goal to put HPU back up two (8-6) just three minutes into the second half and Stevens notched her first career goal to increase the lead to three (9-6) at the 20:30 mark.
Oregon cut it to two (9-7) with 18:59 to play, but Brown scored just 20 seconds later, and the Ducks would not score again for the rest of the way. Sophomore Darla Poulin notched her first goal of the year at the 16:45 mark and Meier tallied HPU’s final goal with 11:40 remaining.
HPU now returns to the Tar Heel State to renew its rivalry with former NLC/Big South rival Davidson (1-2) on Friday (March 11). The game at Davidson is scheduled for 6 p.m.