CLINTON, S.C. – Split evenly down the middle between home and road designations over their final four meetings of the 2023 stretch, the Presbyterian College lacrosse team searches for Big South victory number four on Wednesday evening at Bailey Memorial Stadium. The Runnin' Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb come visiting tomorrow, with opening draw tabbed for 5:00 p.m.

Originally lined up as a BYE week for each school in the conference, the impromptu midweek bout will serve as the only encounter of the day to involve Big South members, a rescheduled contest that was pushed back 11 days due to inclement weather.

PC aims for their first victory against the Runnin' Bulldogs in six years on Wednesday, in pursuit of a 4-2 conference record and second home win should they achieve their objective. Two of the three league outings to be held in Clinton have resulted in a 12-goal tally by the Blue Hose, including last weekend's four-point setback against a rising High Point club.
 
WHO: Presbyterian (6-7, 3-2) vs. Gardner-Webb (2-11, 1-4)
WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday, April 19 – Bailey Memorial Stadium (5:00 p.m.)
LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
- Sharing a conference win over Radford and a non-league triumph against Akron with the Blue Hose, Gardner-Webb's similarities with Presbyterian end there with a record nine games below .500 going into tomorrow's matchup. The Runnin' Bulldogs have yet to taste a Big South W when playing the visitors' role, falling to Longwood by one and Wofford by six in their most recent appearance on the road.

- Maddie Martin took over the program's direction just one year after graduating from G-W, thrusted quickly from an assistant to interim head coaching duties for 2023. Over a five-year playing career in Boiling Springs, Martin was part of 29 wins as a defender and never lost to Presbyterian in two trips to Clinton.

- Gardner-Webb has calculated an average of 13 goals per meeting through their last four Big South dates, however only able to claim a victory in one of them thanks to a defense that's allowed 15 strikes per game in that same period.
 
LAST TIME OUT
- A commendable showing against a regular powerhouse in the conference last Saturday, PC's 16-12 defeat at the hands of High Point wasn't without its major positives for head coach Eric Clakeley's unit, who collected an 8-6 advantage moments before halftime at which point the Panthers began to wrestle the momentum away.

- Senior midfielder Abby Edmisten wrangled in four goals across the contest – putting her one point away from reaching 150 over a splendid Blue Hose tenure – while sophomore Willow Hammond finished a vastly-impressive two-game sequence on a career-best four assists against HPU. This came after another personal-high three days earlier in an 11-10 triumph against Winthrop, scoring six times (the most secured by any PC player this semester).

- Unfortunately a 7-0 High Point flurry spelled the game's end, spanning just five minutes and 17 seconds of game time from the end of the 2^nd into the 3^rd, forcing the opponents to switch sides in the latest conference standings. A win over G-W tomorrow would bring PC to a tie with the Panthers for the fourth and final spot that is allowed entry into the league tournament in May.

- The last time that the Blue Hose got the better of the Runnin' Bulldogs – April 8, 2017 – was a one-sided affair in North Carolina, claiming a 17-6 decision that stood as Presbyterian's highest margin of victory in a league meeting until a nine-goal win at Radford on April Fool's Day earlier this month came close to matching it.