CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Spoiling an otherwise exceptional performance by sophomore attacker Willow Hammond, who accumulated her first ever four-goal effort on Saturday afternoon, the Queens Royals were able to utilize a fast start to their advantage in a 17-7 decision over the Presbyterian College lacrosse squad.

Finding a combined 12 strikes in the 2^nd and 3^rd periods to denote their fifth win over the past six attempts, the Royals – a member of the NCAA Division II Final Four last season behind a 21-1 trek – never trailed the Blue Hose, who mustered five scores themselves over Saturday's second half.

The Queen City setback registers as the 2023 nonconference closer for Presbyterian and head coach Eric Clakeley, now four days away from their return to Bailey Memorial Stadium for the first Big South clash of the semester versus Wofford.
 
NOTABLES
- Arguably the highlight of a rising star within the Blue Hose program, Hammond's electric offensive day indicates the fourth occasion of this campaign that a PC performer achieved four scores in a single outing, joining Abby Edmisten (who has completed the feat twice) and Kylie Sullivan who share the same company.

- Locating the back of the net once in the opening frame, again in the 2^nd chapter, and two more successful swings over the 3^rd period just over eight minutes apart, Hammond officially turned in a new career-high on the stat sheet, bumping up her career goal count to 35 in the process.

- All three of Presbyterian's 4^th-quarter breakthroughs occurred in a woman-up situation, gaining two such scores from fifth-year defender Paige Gacek that were assisted by Sophie Sullinger and Kylie Sullivan respectively. In the end, all but two of PC's 17 shot tries landed on-target, winning 12 draw controls and going 16-for-17 in clear attempts.

- Freshman keeper Lilly Phillips manned that spot for the first 45 minutes over the weekend, saving four shots before passing the baton to Naomi Lauderbaugh for the last frame and four more stoppages. Between the two, they've now racked up 60 saves in pre-Big South territory.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Hammond's first strike needed less than five minutes to follow through, evening the odds at one apiece for the second of six straight unassisted scores to open up the outing. Another cash-in with 10:34 on the clock until the break cemented the sophomore's 10^th career multi-goal performance, only halfway through her dazzling showcase when the 2^nd period buzzer roared.

- By the time the board read 3:14 to go in the penultimate stanza, Hammond had accounted for all four of PC's goals to beat out what was a personal best against Delaware State over one month back, which coincided with the first Blue Hose W of the year in an 11-10 thriller. The Johns Creek, Georgia native has collected 16 goals on the season, which currently sits three off her entire total as a rookie in 2022.

- Edmisten would provide the helper to Hammond's final score of the afternoon, completing the entire goal sequence herself with 2:25 remaining that was sandwiched in between Gacek's pair, continuing an 8-game streak of at least one score that has spanned the entire non-league calendar.
 
UP NEXT
- The aforementioned Clinton return on March 29 will feature Presbyterian's third home encounter of the season out of eight altogether, dueling with a Wofford unit that holds a 3-5 resume and an eight-day break in competition since their last appearance (a 17-13 victory over Akron, a foe that the Blue Hose also bested on the 14^th).

- The Terriers were similarly defeated by Queens in the prior bout by a 16-7 difference, gaining a .500 mark when playing the visiting role at 2-2. Wednesday's opening draw control at Bailey Memorial is tabbed for a 7:00 p.m. start.