HPU Women’s Lacrosse Cruises To 18-7 Win At Winthrop

ROCK HILL, S.C. – The High Point University women’s lacrosse team scored 12 goals in the opening half to cruise to an 18-7 win over Winthrop on Sunday afternoon in Rock Hill, S.C. Senior Mackenzie Carroll tallied eight points on six assists and a pair of goals in the win. Carroll’s six assists match her performance last year at Winthrop for third most all-time in a single game for HPU. Junior Kendyl Gardner recorded five points on four goals and an assist.

“I was very pleased with how we started the game,” said HPU head coach Lyndsey Boswell. “I thought the girls came out with focus and intensity, which I think led to the early lead. We were more aggresive on defense today and did a good job of causing turnovers. Mackenzie Carroll did a great job once again leading our offense andJasmine Jordan is starting to show what she is capable of for our team and is doing a great job all over the field.”

HPU started out hot rattling off four goals in the first five minutes to jump out to an early 4-0 lead. Carroll hit Gardner with a pass from behind the cage to start the scoring. Carroll then notched her second assist as she found a cutting Emily Meier in front of the net to put HPU up 2-0. Senior Jasmine Jordan tallied her first score of the day before Gardner wrapped around the cage and scored her second.

Winthrop’s Jenna Kasmarik broke the early HPU run with her first goal of the day to bring the Eagles within three. High Point responded with eight unanswered including two more by Gardner to push the lead to 12-1.

Senior Alec Perry started the run off Carroll’s third assist before Jasmine Jordan scored her second of the day on an open net following a foul on Winthrop’s goalie. Gardner recorded the next two goals to push her total to four in the first 10 minutes of the game.

Carroll added her fourth and fifth assists on Emily Meier’s second goal and Stephanie Pazulski’s seventh of the year before scoring one of her own off an assist from Kendyl Gardner. Sophomore Leah Pace also scored HPU a free-position goal for the Panthers.

Kasmarik scored Winthrop’s second goal with 8:13 remaining in the half to cap the scoring and send the game into the break 12-2.

The Panthers added six more scores in the second half to finish the game with 18 goals on 25 shots.Kuhlman started the second half scoring catching a pass from Pazulski as she cut in front of the net. FreshmanSamantha Brown added a goal before Carroll scored her second off of freshman Melissa Villanti’s first career assist.

Meier notched a hat trick scoring with 6:16 remaining before redshirt-junior scored for a fourth straight game off an assist by junior Abby Berrettone. Perry finished off the scoring with her second of the day to finish off the 18-7 win.

Kasmarik finished with four of Winthrop’s seven goals and now has 44 goals on the year.

Junior Julia Burns picked up the win making four saves in the cage. Freshman Hayley Peets made two saves in the second half.

HPU went perfect on clear attempts for a second straight game going 8-for-8 on Sunday. The Panthers held a 17-10 advantage in draw controls.

High Point wraps up its four-game road swing next Saturday, April 19 at Longwood. The Panthers defeated the Lancers 13-8 in last year’s Big South opener. Carroll tallied six points in that game with four goals and a pair of assists.