NEWBERRY – In the opening minutes, Rachel Dillon found the net after a pass from Sophie Moore to put Newberry on the board.
A few minutes later, the Wolves scored again. And again. And again. And again.
By the time the final buzzer sounded the Wolves had scored 23 times in a tight 23-21 victory over conference foe Coker. The total broke a school record in goals scored that was set when Newberry beat Wingate 22-10 on April 5, 2014.
The contest was an all-out offensive battle between both teams as they found the net a combined 44 times. Dillon tallied a season-high five goals and was joined by a supporting cast in which six other Wolves scored at least twice that afternoon.
Head coach Rashelle McLellan was proud of the effort her team displayed saying, "We had the whole team contribute for the win today. Our defense came up with key stops and we were able to transition the ball down the field and capitalize on attack by scoring."
After a goal by Coker's Haley McCusker knotted the score at one apiece, Newberry fired off seven goals over the next 12 minutes to take an 8-2 advantage at the 14:03 mark in the first.
The Cobras would not go away quietly tallying an 8-2 run that was capped off with a goal from McCusker to tie it at 10 apiece with six minutes remaining in the first frame. Coker would shift momentum to their side off another goal from McCusker to make it 11-10, but Newberry would bounce right back and two quick scores from Alexis Kahler and Danielle Laguerra would send the Wolves up 12-11 at the break.
Newberry began the second stanza in similar fashion with Monique Proctor, Maegan Williams, and Moore netting a goal apiece to give the Wolves a 15-12 edge.
Both offenses continued to attack the net with Coker's Faith Kent scoring her seventh goal of the day to tie the game 18-18. She would finish the day with a career-high nine goals and set a Coker record for goals scored in a single game.
Dynamic duo Dillon and Moore would take control down the stretch with Moore recording a pair of goals within 90 seconds of each other to make it 21-19. Dillon would follow it up with her own score to give Newberry the three-goal lead with seven minutes remaining.
Williams came in clutch finding the net for the second time that afternoon to make it 23-19 at the five-minute mark.
A pair of goals by Coker's Faith Kent would close the gap to 23-21 with two minutes left but crucial defensive stops from the Wolves in the closing minutes sealed the win.
Brandy Bowman's 15 saves stands out as one of the key difference makers in the close contest.
Turnovers also were a definite factor with the Wolves forcing 21 turnovers including one within the last 30 seconds that helped secure a victory at Setzler Field.
"The players showed a lot of heart and left everything out on the field," said McLellan. "It was a hard-fought battle."
Newberry will head to Savannah, Ga. on Wednesday, March 28 to face SCAD beginning at 6:00 p.m.
