Site: High Point, N.C. (Vert Stadium)
Score: #1 High Point 21, #4 Winthrop 8
Records: High Point (9-7, 6-0), Winthrop (7-8, 3-3)
Next HPU Event: Big South Championship vs Radford, May 2nd, 2 pm Vert Stadium (ESPN 3)
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University women’s lacrosse team will be making its fifth consecutive appearance in the Big South Championship game after defeating Winthrop 21-8 ON Friday (April 30th). Mena Loescher led the way in points for the Purple & White with seven as she scored four goals and added three assists. Ten Panthers scored in the 13-goal victory, which ties the Big South record for the largest margin of victory in a Big South Semifinal game. HPU set a new Big South semifinal record with 21 goals scored in the game. High Point beat its previous record of 20 that it set back in 2017 against Liberty.
“We are excited to be playing on Sunday at home at High Point University, just thrilled to be in the position we are right now, Head Coach Lyndsey Boswell said. “Our girls came out with some great energy, I think just seeing the way they went up based on the fast-breaking, the draw control, and the fast pace going to cage and the execution on our shots. That is something that we put some thought and effort into this week. I am overall very happy with where we are right now.”
HPU jumped out to a six-goal lead to start the first half in the second Big South Semifinal game of the day. 29 seconds into the contest Abby Hormes got the scoring started for HPU giving High Point a one-goal advantage early. A little over a minute later Loescher added to the Panther lead with a goal of her own to make it 2-0. The Panthers kept the offense going as Loescher found Katie Hormes who scored to make it 3-0 with 26:29 to play as the Panthers got off to a hot start. The run was not done, less than thirty seconds later Kay Rosselli scored her 11th goal of the season to give HPU a four-goal lead with still 26 minutes to play. Ashley Britton and Loescher scored two more in the run to go up 6-0 with 24:23 to play. The Panthers scored six goals in less than six minutes to start the Big South Semifinal game. Winthrop scored to pause the Panther run.
HPU would get right back on the board as Abby Hormes sprinted down the field and scored on the run to make it 7-1. Less than two minutes later the Hormes sisters connected for a wonderful goal as Abby found Katie for the eighth goal of the day for HPU. After a Winthrop goal, Loescher kept her big day going with a free position goal to give HPU a 9-2 lead with 13:38 to play in the first. Nicole Pugh and Kaely Kyle added two goals to make it 11-3. Emma Genovese scored two to give High Point a 13-5 lead. Loescher scored again then found Katie Hormes who scored and gave HPU a ten-goal lead in the first half putting the Panthers up 15-5. Rosselli and Hormes scored to give HPU a 17-4 lead at halftime.
Rachel Foster scored two goals in the second half while Abby Hormes and Julia Nicastro each added one to bring the Panther total to 21 which set a new Big South Semifinal record.
Abby Hormes and Loescher finished with four goals each while Katie Hormes had three and Genovese, Rosselli, and Foster each finished with two goals in the win.
UP NEXT: HPU heads to its fifth straight Big South title game on Sunday, May 2nd at 2:00. High Point will host Radford and the game will be streamed on ESPN3.