HPU WLAX Drops Tough 16-15 Loss to No. 16 Florida

• Two late Florida goals gave the No. 16 Gators a 16-15 victory over High Point
• Sophomore Abby Hormes had a career-high 10 draw controls to go along with five points
• Freshman Mena Loescher recorded a season-high five points with three goals and two assists

HIGH POINT, N.C.—The High Point University women’s lacrosse team fought valiantly, but fell to No. 16 Florida, 16-15, Saturday afternoon (March 9) at Vert Stadium.

The two teams were evenly matched all across the field, as draw controls were tied, 16-16. High Point (3-3) held a 19-18 advantage in ground balls and Florida (3-3) held a slim margin in shots, 38-34.

In a game that was back-and-forth and saw HPU come from behind four times in the contest, High Point led, 15-14, with under four minutes to go when a yellow card sent the Panthers down a player. Florida subsequently scored back-to-back goals to take the lead for good.

“I’m proud of the way my team fought today,” HPU head coach Lyndsey Boswell said. “I thought there were a lot of things that didn’t go our way, but they kept their composure and fought all the way until the end.

“Each loss this year has been a huge learning opportunity for us. I feel like we’re in a really good position to play some tough teams in Maryland. We will use this as fuel to our fire and let it give us confidence that we can play with anyone out there, and we showed that today.”

Sophomore Abby Hormes led the Panthers with four goals and an assist, while also earning a career-high 10 draw controls, the second-most in HPU single-game history. Freshman Mena Loescher also recorded a season-high five points with three goals and two assists.

Junior Ashley Britton tallied four points on three goals and an assist, while junior Valerie Pelling added a hat trick of her own.

In goal, sophomore Sarah Zeto made nine saves for High Point, while Haley Hicklen had 11 for the Gators.

Shannon Kavanagh and Lindsey Ronbeck each scored five goals to lead Florida.

Up next, the Panthers travel for Spring Break and take on Johns Hopkins on Wednesday (March 13) at 6 p.m. in Baltimore.