CLINTON, S.C. – A midweek Big South Conference war that featured every emotion in the book and a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns shifted toward a somber ending for the Presbyterian College lacrosse team on Wednesday, dropping a hard-fought decision to Gardner-Webb by a 13-12 clip. The pivotal league bout was sealed on a 1:57 G-W score and ultra-unlikely save with 28 seconds to go.

Spoiling a six-goal performance by senior midfielder Abby Edmisten that officially confirmed her status as one of only two players in school history to reach the milestone of 150+ points, the intense league encounter saw the Blue Hose battle back from a three-score deficit in the first half to tie and another four-goal hole in the fourth period only to gain another stalemate.

In the end, however, Presbyterian couldn't quite get over the hump as the Runnin' Bulldogs subverted the late rally behind a nine-save effort by starting keeper Danielle Burke. The tight loss moves PC's overall record to 6-8 on the season next to a 3-3 mark against divisional opponents.
 
NOTABLES
- Notching her 150^th point in just 10 minutes and 22 seconds of game time, Edmisten ended the evening with 155 for her career collection to denote the second occasion in one week that a Blue Hose member charted six scores in a single affair (joining Willow Hammond, who also accomplished the feat in a road triumph over Winthrop).

- Trailing only Catherine Ellis (2011-14) for the honor of Presbyterian's all-time goal and assist maker, PC's number one offensive weapon needs just 10 of the former and five of the latter to reach that summit. The senior netted at least one score in every period on Wednesday, going into the locker room for the half already with four at her disposal.

- Kylie Sullivan and NaQuia Hall joined Edmisten with multi-goal totals to their name in the gutsy comeback attempt, with Mickey Paredes and Hammond wrapping up Presbyterian's second outing in a row with a 12-goal haul, only to have the bad luck bug appear near the conclusion to spell the setback.

- Paredes and senior defender Taryn Tomas combined for six ground ball recoveries on an evening where their squad lined up six free-position attempts, cashing in on four of those opportunities. That solid conversion ratio would unfortunately falter in an unwanted direction in PC's final gasp at a desired overtime extension.

- Lilly Phillips continued her run of starting all 14 bouts through her freshman stint at keeper, thwarting seven G-W tries including a quartet in the opening 15 minutes. Additionally, the Hall/Hammond/Paige Gacek trio was responsible for 10 draw control gatherings while playing a key role in the squad's four-goal 4^th period that nearly completed the rally.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A sluggish start for the Blue Hose saw a 5-2 deficit with just over 21 minutes in the rearview, although a 6:23 strike by Sullivan and consecutive conversions by Edmisten whittled that lead to a single point at the break. PC found the back of the net with 19 ticks left in the opening frame and once again with the clock reading five seconds in the 2^nd, both instances off the stick of Edmisten.

- Despite a 4-3 disadvantage as the 3^rd stanza played out, the Blue Hose again used the final moments of the period to dish some quick damage, finding their third goal of the day within the last 20 seconds of a quarter to close the penultimate chapter, this one courtesy of Hammond.

- Head coach Eric Clakeley's unit seemed in dire straits with nine minutes and some change to go, facing their steepest climb of the contest at 12-8. Suddenly, a 4-0 deluge by the home side brought the bout back to an even playing field, needing only four minutes to tie things up for the third time thanks to four different goal-getters during the flurry.

- Gardner-Webb applied pressure to the wound and produced what turned into the game-winning goal with 117 seconds remaining. Presbyterian's aforementioned free position layout with 0:28 on the board failed to find its mark, indicating the fifth game of PC's season to be decided by a single score but the first time it didn't go their way.
 
UP NEXT
- Sitting exactly at .500 in conference competition with three matchups on the way, the Blue Hose hope to finish the regular season strong against quality foes in a bid to land a top-four spot in the league that automatically means a tournament acquisition.

- Their first stop on this quest will put them at Longwood over the weekend, battling a Lancer foe that has come up on the losing end of their last four contests. Opening draw in Farmville on the 22^nd is scheduled for noon on ESPN+.