Site: Boiling Springs, N.C.
Score: High Point 23, Gardner Webb 14
Records: High Point 8-8, (7-1), Gardner-Webb 9-8, (8-1)
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — The High Point University women’s lacrosse team picked up its eighth straight win with the victory over Gardner-Webb on Wednesday (April 27th) afternoon to capture a share of the 2022 Big South regular-season title. The HPU win and the Mercer win earned the Panthers the #1 seed in the Big South Tournament. The Tournament will be hosted inside Vert Stadium.
HPU advances to the BSC Semifinals (4/6).
Abby Hormes led the way in scoring for the Panthers again with seven goals on the day and two assists for nine points. She now has a total of 393 points and is 7 points away from becoming the sixth women’s college lacrosse player to eclipse 400 points.
Coach Lyndsey Boswell: “Credit to Gardner-Webb for coming out ready to play strong today. I was really impressed with how hard they played us in the first half in terms of finding quick solutions. We used halftime to make some changes and just talk about getting back to our game plan and that was the difference in the second. I am happy with how my team responded.”
Boswell on Being Co-Big South Regular Season title and Number One Seed in the Tournament: “I am really proud of the team and the work they have put in over the last thirty days or so. We did not get the result we were looking for in the very first Big South game this season. Ever since then we have been grinding, fighting, and trying to find ways to get better. That is what you are seeing right now. We are excited to be hosting the Big South Tournament and to be the number one seed.”
Panther Particulars
GWU struck first about 16 seconds in but with ten minutes to go in the first Pia Cavallaro tied the game at one on a free position.
Kay Rosselli tied the game at two after GWU again came down and took the lead with a quick response.
Cavallaro scored her second of the quarter which gave High Point its first lead of the day to go up 3-2 with 8:19 to play in the first.
Mena Loescher got a take away then connected with Hormes for the Panthers to go up 4-2 with 2:29 to go
Hormes assisted Nicole Pugh with 20 seconds left in the first quarter to give HPU a 5-3 lead.
GWU scored in the last 20 seconds of the first quarter and then in the first three minutes of the second to tie the game at five.
Grace Bruce scored to put HPU back up 6-5 with 11:20 to go in the second quarter.
Liz Meister gave HPU a two-goal lead as she scored to put HPU up 7-5.
GWU tied the game at seven, but Julia Nicastro put HPU up 8-7 on a free position with 8:22 to go in the second quarter.
Hormes added her second of the day to give HPU a two-goal lead, 9-7 with 6:50 remaining in the second quarter.
Emma Genovese found Cavallaro who scored her third of the day to give High Point a 10-8 lead with 4:19 to go in the quarter.
Genovese scored as well as Hormes to give HPU a 12-10 lead at the end of the first half.
HPU came out hot to start the second half.
Hormes scored the first three of the third quarter to give HPU a 15-10 lead scoring her goals in about a three-minute span.
Loescher added two of her own to give High Point a 17-10 lead.
Pugh and Hormes added two more to extend the Panther lead to 19-10.
Hormes, Loescher, and Pugh combined for the first seven goals of the second half as HPU went on a 7-0 run to go up 19-10 with 6:12 to go in the third quarter.
Bruce added her second of the day to give HPU a 20-11 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Nicastro, Pugh, and Rosselli all scored in the fourth.
HPU went on to win 23-14 as HPU clinched a share of the Big South regular-season title and the number 1 seed in the 2022 Big South Tournament.
Up Next
HPU prepares for the Big South Tournament as the #1 seed. HPU will play host to the conference tournament with the semifinals beginning on Friday, May 6th and a champion will be crowned on Sunday, May 8th.