CLINTON, S.C. – Making their return to Bailey Memorial Stadium after a 17-day absence and looking to shake off a midweek defeat at the hands of reigning league champion Mercer, the Presbyterian College lacrosse team secured its most goals over a single game all year on Saturday, falling short of the victory versus Longwood (16-13).

Tying their highest single-quarter output right out of the gates with a determined demeanor (scoring six times in the first 15 minutes), the Blue Hose were outgunned 5-3 following a tied tally at halftime, moving them to 1-9 on the season.

The Lancers were forced into 18 turnovers in the sun-drenched atmosphere, only clearing 11 of their 15 attempts thanks to Presby's amped up defensive unit. While both sides were dead-even in free position tries (4-for-8), the visitors took a 19-13 advantage in draws which contributed mightily to the tight finish.

Head coach Eric Clakeley's club will stay on their home base for Big South duel number three in another week, welcoming nearby Furman for a noon start. ESPN+ will have coverage of the event, with three more league outings left on PC's turf.

 
NOTABLES
 
- Presbyterian benefitted considerably from the returns of Abby Edmisten and Olivia Ballard on opposite ends of the field, the former missing back-to-back encounters and the latter sitting out the last six contests due to injury.

- Edmisten (the program's all-time leader in both overall points and goals scored) added three more to the record book for a grand total of 142. Kaylie Rittmueller equaled that statistic with a hat trick of her own, all of which came in the first two periods.

- Transfer Brooke Chandler notched her eighth and ninth PC strikes that bookended the meeting, while five other players hit the back of the net once each.

- Avery West and Mackenzie Partsch synced up for six ground ball scoops at three apiece, while the tandem of Kayleigh Aitken and Naomi Lauderbaugh shared their time in the keeper's box at two quarters for both.

- Remarkably, seven of Edmisten's nine shots were on-line for a potential goal, however the Lancers' starter (Bridget Robinson) went the full distance and stopped nine would-be scores to reach the victory.

- Presbyterian's 13 goals are the most from the squad since a conference triumph at Radford that occurred nearly a full year ago on the dot, logging the school's highest goal-count at home since the 2022 season opener (a 16-6 beatdown over Howard).

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
- Four of the game's first five connections came from Clakeley's gang, including Edmisten's first swing that narrowly beat the shot clock to make it 2-0. Reigning Big South Freshman of the Week Emma Claire Mills pushed the advantage to 5-2 at the 2:51 stamp of the first, her fourth make over the past three outings.

- That deficit remained at three thanks to Chandler's 11-seconds-left cash-in, officially completing PC's highest-scoring period since the 3^rd quarter at Kennesaw State back on February 15.

- Longwood made up for lost ground by managing a 5-2 differential in the next stanza, sending things to an 8-8 tie and a deadlocked score after 2 quarters for the second straight time at Bailey Memorial Stadium.

- Trailing by a deuce with 2:37 on the clock in the 3^rd, newbie Ella Bobbitt accounted for her first-ever collegiate goal on an assist from Mickey Paredes (who herself entered the box score by finding a successful swing six minutes prior).

- From that point, however, the Lancers completed four of the game's last six goals to escape Clinton with a 2-0 mark in Big South action.

 
NEXT UP
 
- The Paladins of Furman will visit Presby's house for the second straight spring after closing the '23 schedule at the same site and grinding out a 16-11 win in late April.

- PC has never bested their Palmetto rivals in six attempts, hoping to put an end to that streak after coming to their closest margin in that series 11 months ago.

- Furman has effectively tossed aside a sluggish start by winning three of their last four bouts, handing out a 12-10 W over Wofford and a 21-9 blowout against Gardner-Webb to begin the conference trek at 2-0.