WILSON, N.C. – Women's Lacrosse had their third game in a week on the road again; this time against the Barton College Bulldogs in Wilson, North Carolina. In a battle against two teams representing the South Atlantic Conference, the Wolves fought until the end to take their last game on the road against the Limestone Saints, 14-11 on February 18. Barton College also came into the game defeating a SAC opponent, with the Bulldogs narrowly defeating the Catawba Indians this past Wednesday 12-10. Clearly familiar and successful (so far) against SAC competition, it was up to Newberry to tame the Bulldogs and show that they are one of the best teams in the conference in the sport.


The first quarter was a defensive battle. Both teams made an effort to start strong on defense, resulting in eight turnovers by both teams in the first five minutes. Before long, Jenny Bates (Sherwood Park, Alberta) opened the scoring with a solo goal at 9:44. A second goal was tallied on to the score sheet for the Wolves, this time by Emma Jobs (Sherwood Park, Alberta). Action went on for five minutes, with Barton sending off four shots and Newberry sending two. The Bulldogs got on the board with their next shot of the game from a goal from Annabelle Chuilli to end the scoring in the period.


Things got better from the offensive perspective, as it only took one minute to get the third goal of the game for Newberry with a goal from Jenny Bates again from the free position. Barton won the ensuing draw control and, with the offensive effort, scored the second goal of the game for the Bulldogs. 30 seconds later, the game was tied by Avery Woodcock, with Head Coach Tommy Kelly calling a timeout after the score. The call was worth it Serena Elias (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) gave the Wolves the response needed to get back into the lead at 10:50. Both teams exchanged possessions before Cassell Richardson (Forest, Va.) increased the lead to two with the free position goal at 8:30.


Two turnovers from each team resulted from the next three minutes of play before the next two goals were scored by Richardson, again, and Marissa Plumer (Kent Island, Md.) at the five minute mark. Emma Jobs added her second goal of the game before the Bulldogs were able to score their fourth goal at 3:39 of the game. A turnover from Newberry resulted in the fifth goal for the home team, and two shots from the Wolves was the last action of the first half of a good game.


Continuing with the trend of the first half, the third period started as a defensive struggle for both teams. Only three shots (all saved) were shot in the first five minutes of the period, and there were also seven turnovers within the same span. Barton ended that with a goal scored by Avery Woodcock with Newberry down a woman. Lana Howell (Aurora, Colo.) introduced herself to the stat sheet with a goal from the free position at 7:31. The third quarter was nearly complete before the next goal was scored from Heather Johnston (Merritt Island, Fla.) to make the game 10-6 to take it to the final period. Newberry's defense would be the story as after allowing the goal, four turnovers were caused and only four shots came from the Bulldogs (two were saved from Mackenzie Dorr (Riverhead, N.Y.)


With the lead at four for the game, Newberry needed to be solid on the defensive side to ensure the victory was gained, but a Barton score at 12:03 was reassurance that the finish was anything but easy. Turnovers were forced by both teams, but in the process, a second score of the quarter by the home team made it a two point game. Right on cue, Emma Jobs secured her hat trick from the free position at 7:20 to give the Wolves breathing room with time winding down. Defense ruled the next five minutes, but to all but clinch the win, Lana Howell scored with 2:48 left to make the score 12-8. An insurance goal would be scored by Reagan Kemppainen of Barton, but the damage was done as Newberry came away with a 12-9 away victory against the Bulldogs. 


Three matches in a week see the Wolves rest for 7 days until their next game, which comes at home on Setzler Field March 4 at 1 PM. It'll be the start of a two game home stand with Southern Wesleyan University (S.C.) coming into town March 8, with that game starting at 4 PM.