BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.- The Presbyterian College women's lacrosse team dropped the final game of the regular season on Friday night to Gardner-Webb, 13-12, at Spangler Stadium.
PC finishes the season with a 3-13 overall record and 0-7 record in Big South Conference play. The Blue Hose earn the No. 8 seed in next week's Big South Conference Tournament, and will face No. 1 seeded Winthrop on Tuesday at 2 p.m. in Rock Hill, S.C. Gardner-Webb ends its inaugural season with a win to go to 1-15 overall and 1-6 in the conference. The No. 7 seeded Runnin' Bulldogs will take on No. 2 Liberty on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
The Blue Hose scored five straight goals in the second half to take a two-goal lead over the hosts, but the Runnin' Bulldogs responded with three straight goals to go up one in the final seven minutes. PC scored in the final 38 seconds to tie it up, but the goal was called off after referees did a stick-check.
Katy Richardson (Lake Worth, Fla.) had four goals and four assists in the loss for the Blue Hose. Lauren Schaaf (Ellicott City, Md.) recorded four goals as well, while Claire Frase (Fort Mill, S.C.) had two goals, and Ashley Wren (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Kathleen Gerrits (Lake Worth, Fla.) had one goal each.
PC held a 20-7 advantage in draw controls, led by Amanda Lindsey's (Peachtree City, Ga.) team-high seven. Liz Bedell (Londonderry, N.H.) led the team's defensive effort with three caused turnovers and five ground balls.
Alex Fusco led the hosts with four goals and three assists in the win. Amanda Steinmuller, Cassidy McDowell, and Lindsey Lippert recorded two goals apiece, while three other Runnin' Bulldogs scored individual goals in the win.
Fusco won six draw controls, while Monique Martin and Destiny Mead picked up five ground balls each. Gardner-Webb goalie Raygan Hall made a solid 10 saves in her team's first ever win.
Frase put the Blue Hose up 1-0 on her goal with 25:57 on the clock in the first half. Lippert tallied her eighth goal of the season for the Runnin' Bulldogs on a pass from Alex Fusco to tie it up 1-1 with 24:45 remaining.
Gerrits recorded her sixth career goal on a pass from Richardson to give the Blue Hose a one-goal lead, but the Runnin' Bulldogs scored two unanswered goals to take their first lead of the contest with 21:11 to play in the first half.
Richardson recorded her 35th goal of the year to tie it up 3-3, but Gardner-Webb fought back again with two straight goals to take a 5-3 lead with 19:19 to play.
The teams exchanged two sets of back and forth goals before the Blue Hose scored two straight to tie it up for the fourth time in the game, 7-7, with 5:17 left in the first half. Mead closed out the half with a goal with 55 seconds to play to give the hosts a one-goal lead at halftime.
Gardner-Webb opened up the second half with two straight goals to stretch their lead to 10-7 with 26:46 on the clock. PC fought back with five straight goals over the next ten minutes of action to take a 12-10 lead with 16:35 to play.
The Runnin' Bulldogs closed out the contest with three unanswered goals to get the one-point victory. PC's Kelty Fletcher (Jupiter, Fla.) scored a goal with 38 seconds remaining but was called off after a stick-check.
