ROCK HILL, S.C. – Tying for the second-highest number of saves in a single match of any player at the NCAA Division I level this season, junior Kayleigh Aitken's eye-popping 21 stoppages were not enough to fully halt a blazing Winthrop attack on Saturday afternoon as PC fell to the Eagles 16-6.

Aitken surpassed her single-match career record before the Big South duel had even seen its midway point, ultimately beating her previous best by a landslide (11 against Detroit Mercy earlier this year).

Winthrop made it a mission to keep Aitken and the rest of the Blue Hose defense on their heels for the majority of the match, stacking up 48 shots (37 on-goal) along with 19 draw control victories and winning the turnover margin by five.

Those statistics enabled the Eagles to lead from beginning to end in the third league affair for both sides, bringing PC to an overall record of 4-8.

Head coach Eric Clakeley's club comes back to Bailey Memorial Stadium for their next two meetings in the near future, hosting three-time defending Big South champion Mercer at 4:00 this Wednesday.


 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
- Aitken's 21 saves have only been achieved by three other Division I players since the season started back in February, posting the same number as Lexi Coldiron (Rutgers vs. Princeton) and Ava LaManna (Radford vs. George Mason).

- Nine of her deflections occurred in the 2^nd period against Presby's in-state rival, helping the Canadian achieve 16 total saves throughout the first 30-minute stretch.

- Winthrop kept knocking on the door despite Aitken's fierce determination, able to score 12 times in the second half to create some distance that the Blue Hose couldn't catch up to.

- Offensively, senior Willow Hammond produced four goals (three in the last two frames). It's the ninth time in her career reaching that many in one day, the third-place all-time goal-scorer in Presbyterian history (118 and counting).

- Preseason all-leaguer Avery West tied a career-best with six ground ball recoveries in the loss (matching that same number against Southern New Hampshire last spring), her fifth performance of the year with at least three loose-ball pickups.

- Winthrop pieced together two separate 4-0 flurries in the last two chapters after holding just a 4-3 edge at intermission, earning their 14^th win against PC.


 
UP NEXT
 
- Over the three-year span from 2022-24, Mercer (Presby's next opponent) went for an overall mark of 45 wins beside just 14 losses. The Bears have won every conference regular season and tournament championship in that window, winning their 27^th consecutive Big South match on Saturday over Radford by 13 points.

- Mercer toppled ninth-ranked Clemson by a single goal nearly a month ago, outscoring their first three divisional foes by a combined difference of 59-19.

- ESPN+ will have the call as the Blue Hose search for the upset, aiming for their first win against the Bears since the 2015 campaign.