CLINTON, S.C. – Enjoying home-field advantage for the second time in less than a week against a never-before-seen opponent, the Presbyterian College lacrosse team put up a valiant effort versus Xavier on Saturday afternoon at Bailey Memorial Stadium before ultimately succumbing to a 7-5 second-half scoring difference that translated to a 14-11 final result in the Musketeers' favor.

Although the 2023 campaign is still trudging through its early stages – currently just four games in for the Blue Hose – head coach Eric Clakeley's unit popped off when in attack mode against their Ohio visitors, leading to a season-best 36 shot attempts (six higher than the Delaware State victory), 23 of which landed on-target. PC poured in 10 free-position strikes in the seesaw meeting, reaching eight looks at the net in the 2^nd and 4^th periods.
 
NOTABLES
- The most impactful single-game performance in the career of Kylie Sullivan carried PC's offensive weight in a contest filled with exciting goals, as the junior tallied her first ever four-point stat line with a quadruple-set of scores. Sullivan never wavered from an early aggressive inclination by mustering 11 shots against the Musketeers, nailing a pair of goals in the 4^th period as the Blue Hose nearly overcame a five-goal second-half deficit.

- Abby Edmisten, NaQuia Hall, and Willow Hammond joined the junior's company with six goals between them (three apiece), handing Presbyterian their seventh double-digit scoring day over the past 12 months. Altogether, the Hammond/Edmisten duo were responsible for nine of the team's 16 points and all five of PC's assisted plays.

- Coach Clakeley's club produced four separate streaks of either two or three unanswered goals in the close loss, posting eight successful clears and 10 shot attempts over the game's final 15 minutes. The Blue Hose obtained a three-goal advantage in the early moments, preceding a sequence that included three ties and four lead changes that spanned the entire opening half.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- An unlikely source granted Presbyterian their first goal only 83 seconds into proceedings, as sophomore Mickey Paredes corralled a solo score to begin the first three-goal stretch from the home side. Hammond, Sullivan, and Hall followed suit before the first-period horn sounded, giving PC a 4-3 edge after 15.

- Hammond's 26^th career strike at the 8:23 mark of the second opened the door for Sullivan to lace up her second score of the afternoon exactly two minutes later. From there, the Musketeers were able to flip the game's trajectory by notching the next six goals as the bout bled into the 3^rd. The second of those punches occurred with only one second left in the first-half ticker, breaking a six-all stalemate.

- Xavier was able to keep applying pressure to the Blue Hose before building the lead to 11-6 with 10:53 left in the 3^rd stanza. What was once a breakneck pace from both clubs turned into a defensive joust for the next 10 minutes, not finding another goal from either group until the clock hit under 60 seconds – Edmisten's first strike of the outing.

- Hall and Sullivan gradually shrunk the deficit down to a deuce as the scoreboard read eight minutes to go on the dot, although that two-goal hole was as close as PC came to retaking the lead thanks to a back-to-back Musketeer scoring spurt 23 seconds apart.

- Although the Blue Hose's comeback spirit never dissipated, Xavier was able to hold on and escape Bailey Memorial with the three-goal final, a small margin that all three of their wins on the year have parked in.
 
UP NEXT
- Presbyterian will spend almost the entire month of March away from Clinton, spanning a 25-day distance before their return home that will coincidentally mark the beginning of Big South territory. The next four dates on PC's schedule will all involve a road trip, starting on March 14 against the Akron Zips.

- The venture to Ohio will also include a second matchup in the Buckeye State, turning around to face Kent State 48 hours later. Further visits to Clemson on March 22 and Queens on March 25 make out the remainder of the Blue Hose's pre-league lineup.