CLINTON, S.C. – On an afternoon where the Presbyterian College lacrosse team held the Runnin' Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb to just one solitary strike in the final 30 minutes, it turned out that their own offensive backfires in the prior half were too large to overcome as G-W held on 8-5 Saturday.

Freshman Emily Currie and senior Willow Hammond made up 80 percent of PC's connections in their second-to-last home match, playing from behind for the bulk of the contest thanks to a 7-1 halftime hole.

Presby's defense was rock solid in the final two frames while keeping Gardner-Webb from adding almost any additional points to the deficit, although that tepid beginning was the biggest factor in the Big South tussle.

The Blue Hose will go on the road next week for two more league affairs, visiting Furman next Wednesday and Longwood 72 hours later.


 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
- In a mixture between two clubs who held an identical conference record going in, PC closed the game with the advantage in total shots (24-19) while forcing an abnormally high 26 Webb turnovers.

- However, the biggest difference-maker for the Runnin' Bulldogs was keeper Emma Anderson, halting 12 Presbyterian attempts and preserving the lead throughout.

- Avery West and Emma Claire Mills were quite a formidable tandem on the defensive end, combining for eight caused turnovers and nine ground balls. G-W's winning cause was exacerbated by a 12-5 cushion in draw controls.

- The visitors dictated the pace of the first half on Saturday, shutting Presbyterian out over the entire 2^nd period. Emma Duchscherer logged a hat trick in the first 30 minutes, putting PC's comeback bid at negative odds.

- Head coach Eric Clakeley's crew won the last two quarters 4-1 (including a scoreless mark in the 4^th by the Runnin' Bulldogs), although their last two goals of the game occurred within nine minutes of each other, complicating the five-point deficit that started the last stanza.

- Kayleigh Aitken was once again given the starting nod at goalie and remained on the field from start to finish, where she posted eight stoppages. Saturday's result was a twist of irony for PC after scoring one goal themselves in the second half but holding on to beat Radford two weeks ago.


 
UP NEXT
 
- Furman will be Presbyterian's next obstacle as they look to climb back up the Big South ladder, encountering a Paladin challenger who vanquished Longwood over the weekend.

- The Blue Hose have yet to defeat their in-state foe in seven tries dating back to 2015, hoping to trim down a 3-1 conference resume that Furman currently possesses.

- Game-time on April 16 is scheduled for 7:00 PM, streamed live on ESPN+.