NEWBERRY – After getting off to a slow start, the Newberry Wolves (2-8, 0-3 SAC) were unable to catch up to South Atlantic Conference foe Lenoir-Rhyne (6-4, 2-1 SAC), falling to the Bears by a score of 19-7 at home.
The Bears erupted out of the gate to the tune of seven unanswered goals to open the game, opening up a lead that the Wolves would struggle to overcome for the rest of the day.
Newberry's first goal of the day came thanks to
Rachel Dillon, who slotted a goal off of an assist from
Chloe Wood with 13:49 to play in the first half.
The Wolves looked to build on that goal, but the Bears refused to allow their counterpart back into the game, scoring two more goals to make the score 9-1 before Newberry could answer.
Wood and Dillon got back to business for Newberry, with Wood nailing a pair of unassisted goals and Dillon finding the back of the net off of another Wood assist to bring the Wolves back to within five goals.
Unfortunately for the Wolves, Lenoir-Rhyne was able to connect on two more goals before the buzzer, making the halftime score 11-4 in favor of the visiting team.
Newberry was able to slow down the Lenoir-Rhyne offensive attack in the second half, but the Wolves failed to generate enough offense of their own.
The Wolves scored three goals in the second half with
Sophie Moore getting in on the action for a pair of goals and Dillon securing a hat trick with her third goal of the day, but eight goals from the Bears extended their lead and ultimately secured a 19-7 victory for Lenoir-Rhyne.
Dillon led the way for Newberry with three goals, while Wood and Moore scored two each. Wood also recorded both of the team's assists.
Freshman Case McCabe made her first career start in goal for the Wolves, recording 13 saves in a full 60 minutes of play.
The Bears were able to vastly outshoot the Wolves by a margin of 37-16, while also applying great defensive pressure to cause 22 Newberry turnovers to Lenoir-Rhyne's 14.
The Wolves will look to get back on track when they travel to Greeneville, Tennessee for a South Atlantic Conference matchup against the Tusculum Pioneers on Saturday, March 30 at noon.
