FARMVILLE, Va. – A strong contender for the most exciting win in program history, sophomore Emma Claire Mills of the Presbyterian College lacrosse team delivered a dagger to Longwood on Saturday afternoon by avoiding overtime and stunning the Lancers with less than a second remaining.

The Blue Hose connected twice in less than two minutes as they resurrected from an earlier six-point lead that had whisked away, as Mills authored a major highlight on a Hail Mary play to get the victory.

Concocting a 10-4 advantage just before the break, PC persevered past a mid-match dry spell and walloped their Big South rival when it seemed that OT was imminent.

Mills' 28^th career goal will be hard to top, swerving through the Lancer defense after a shot by Kenzie Partsch was bumped backward with six seconds left.

Presbyterian's buzzer-beater wouldn't have been possible without true freshman Emily Currie, who logged a hat trick and tied the match up at 12 apiece by scoring with 1:21 on the clock. She would also scoop the loose ball as time dwindled and rifled a sharp pass to Mills that enabled the game-winner.

Head coach Eric Clakeley's squad will carry the momentum from Saturday's jaw-dropper into the 2025 finale next weekend, returning home to Bailey Memorial Stadium for Senior Day. They'll make one final push to the postseason when Wofford comes calling at 1:00 PM.


 
NOTABLES
 
- PC's first-half numbers were indicative of their other Big South triumph against Radford last month, scoring over 75 percent of their goals in the first two periods.

- At the 9:21 mark of the second quarter, the Blue Hose had recorded nine goals from nine different players. They'd reach their first eight goals without the team's top-two leading scorers (Currie and Willow Hammond) getting there themselves.

- The Scotsmen kept Longwood off the board for a period of 14 minutes and 55 seconds as they engaged a 6-0 burst, good enough for a 10-6 edge at intermission.

- After enduring their own silent spell that spanned an even longer length, Presbyterian came up ultra-clutch thanks to Currie and Mills' eleventh-hour hits.

- Altogether, 10 different players hit the back of the net at least once for Clakeley's camp. Hammond, who achieved 150 career points in Wednesday's appearance at Furman, assisted three times in the heart-stopper.

- Despite losing the draw control statistic 20-7, the Blue Hose more than made up for it by turning Longwood over 24 times. Starting keeper Kayleigh Aitken and the rest of PC's back line made life difficult for the Lancers, holding them to a paltry 1-of-7 ratio in free-position shots.


 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
- The game's first four goals were flipped back and forth, as junior defender Avery West broke the ice with her first score of the season less than four minutes in.

- PC's 6-0 run consisted of Currie, Madeleine Lowrance, Brooke Chandler, Kaylie Rittmueller, and Kate Dominick getting their names in the scoring column. That resulted in a comfortable lead with two quarters in the rearview.

- Longwood wouldn't go down quietly after securing 27 combined goals in their previous two matches, shutting out the Blue Hose in the entire 3^rd period and eventually climbing all the way back to take their first lead of the day with 3:46 to go in the ballgame.

- Partsch would connect at the 12:56 stamp of the final quarter to keep Presby in front 11-9, the first time that PC had scored in 24 minutes and 16 seconds.

- Fast forward to crunch time, and Longwood's three-quarter comeback had miraculously been completed. Or so the Lancers thought.

- Presby's last gasp started on a make by Currie with 81 seconds on the board. It was her 35^th score of the spring, sending the match to its fifth tie.

- As nerves started to swell, the most important draw control of the day would then take place. Rittmueller ensured possession for her side, meaning that PC could essentially hold the ball until the final seconds and make their move to a game-winning goal.

- The first try was no good, although enough time was available for Currie to recover and whip the ball to Mills for the last-second heave.


 
UP NEXT
 
- Wofford will serve as a tall test for the Blue Hose when they suit up for the last time in the regular season, winners of four of their last five after blowing out Gardner-Webb 16-4.

- The Terriers will stand in the way of PC's first postseason ticket since 2016, as coach Clakeley's unit tries to nail down the sixth seed for the Big South Tournament.

- A win over Wofford plus a G-W loss would grant that wish. ESPN+ will have the call in Clinton.

- Next weekend will also serve as Senior Day for a special bunch of seven who will be playing at Bailey Memorial for the final occasion: Kenzie Partsch, Mickey Paredes, Madeline Hart, Melissa Mucollari, Willow Hammond, Brooke Chandler, and Naomi Lauderbaugh.