Box Score MATTHEWS, N.C. – In the culmination of a season that saw program records for wins, 13, and conference wins, 9, and their highest South Atlantic Conference finish in program history, 2nd, the No. 2 seeded Newberry College women's lacrosse team (13-6, 9-1 SAC) fell to the top-seeded Wingate Bulldogs (17-2, 10-0 SAC) 14-8 in the South Atlantic Conference Women's Lacrosse Championship game.
Midfielders
Emma Jobs (Sherwood Park, Alberta) and
Serena Elias (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) each netted 2 goals for the Wolves. Four other Wolves added a single goal each to bring the Wolves to their 8 total goals. Senior defender
Madalyn Messersmith (Kent Island, Md.) caused 2 turnovers and collected a ground ball. Coming off of a program-record performance for draw controls in a single game in the semifinal against Lincoln Memorial, defender
Madison Miller (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) again led the team in draw controls, this time with 5.
The Wolves took an early lead after fending off 3 shots from the Bulldogs. Jobs scored a free-position goal with 10:44 remaining in the first quarter to put the Wolves up 1-0. Over the next five minutes the Bulldogs added two goals, taking a 2-1 advantage with just over 5:30 to play in the first quarter. But with 4:41 remaining in the first, the Wolves drew the game even with a free-position goal from Elias. The Wolves forced two wide shots from the Bulldogs and blocked another as the game went into the second quarter tied 2-2.
Just under four minutes into the second quarter, the Bulldogs retook the lead. But it wouldn't take long for the Wolves to once again draw the game even as senior
Marissa Plumer (Kent Island, Md.) scored the Wolves 3rd free-position goal with 10:17 remaining until halftime. As the second quarter crossed the five-minute mark, the teams again traded goals. And six seconds after crossing that mark, the Bulldogs again took the lead following turnover by the Wolves. They doubled that lead with a goal with just under 2 minutes to go. Jobs cut the lead to just one with the Wolves' first non-free-position with 42 seconds to go in the half. Despite causing a turnover by the Bulldogs, neither the Wolves or Wingate were able to score following Jobs' goal and the Wolves went to the locker room down 6-1.
Despite taking four shots over the first 10-and-a-half minutes of the quarter, the Wolves were unable to find the back of the net in that time span. The same could not be said, however, for the Bulldogs, who scored 3 goals over the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Wolves scored their first goal of the half just 40 seconds later. But the Bulldogs pushed their lead back to 4 goals just 45 seconds later. Over the final three-and-a-half minutes of the third quarter, both teams managed 2 shots, but neither found the back of the net and the Bulldogs took their 10-6 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs added 2 goals over the first four minutes of the fourth quarter. The Wolves then added their final 2 goals over the next two minutes, both on free position attempts. The Bulldogs put 2 more goals of their own into the net as they captured the SAC title 14-8.
With their run at the South Atlantic Conference Championship coming up just short, the Wolves' fate is left up to the NCAA regional committee.
