Site: High Point, N.C. (Vert Stadium)

Score: High Point 17, Winthrop 11

Records: HPU 4-6 (2-0 Big South), WU 4-7 (2-3 Big South)

Next HPU Event: Wednesday, April 14, 2021 -- at Longwood (Farmville, Va.) 4 p.m

HIGH POINT, N.C. -- The High Point University women's lacrosse team defeated Winthrop 17 to 11 on Senior Day on Saturday afternoon (April 10) inside Vert Stadium. The Panthers recognized and celebrated their nine seniors; Ashley Britton, Rachel Foster, Kylie Holthaus, Abbie Karalis, Kaely Kyle, Megan Nerney, Brielle Prouty, Jill Rall, and Sarah Zeto. Abby Hormes followed up her eight-goal performance against Campbell by scoring seven to lead the team. Katie Hormes and Foster each added hat-tricks and Kay Rosselli added two for the only other multi-goal scorers in the win over Winthrop on Saturday.

"I'm really happy with this second win in our conference today. Winthrop's a tough team that's very well-coached," head coach Lyndsey Boswell said after the game. "On Senior Day I feel like we had a lot of big contributors and I'm just really proud of the girls and where this team is headed."

The Eagles started the scoring on Saturday as they were able to strike first with a goal a little over a minute in. HPU answered two minutes later as Abby Hormes assisted Foster. The senior from Laurel, Md. answered the Winthrop goal quickly to even up the game at one. The Hormes sisters added to the Panther lead, Katie Hormes gave HPU their first lead of the day with a hard drive to the cage she scored and made it 2-1. Abby Hormes scored the next two goals to extend the Panther lead to 4-1. Abby Hormes' second goal was set up by a great sequence of down the field passing that set up her transition finish.

After Winthrop answered the High Point run with a goal of their HPU started another run of their own. Kyle scored after wrapping around to make it 5-2. Abby Hormes scored her third of the day in the half to push the HPU lead to four, (6-2). The Panthers ended the half on a four-goal run as they scored two more heading into the break courtesy of Abby Hormes and Rosselli.

The Panthers went into the half with a six-goal lead, 8-2. Abby Hormes had five points in the first half as she scored four goals and had one assist.

Winthrop started the second half by scoring two goals to make it 8-4 early in the second half. High Point held firm and countered with three in a row to hit double digits on the day. Foster started the run just over a minute after the latest Winthrop goal and the Hormes sisters each struck within a minute of each other, with Katie scoring from the free position spot followed by Abby 29 seconds later. Winthrop didn't back down and scored three consecutive of its own to keep the score tight at 11-7

The Purple and White had one more run in the late, scoring four straight to take their biggest lead of the game at eight, 15-7. The first three goals came within a minute of each other, with Abby Hormes scoring twice to get to 40 goals on the season and Britton getting her only tally of the game from a free-position shot. Abby set up her sister later for the final goal of the run, connecting with Katie for the first time this season for Katie's third and final goal of the day. Winthrop hung tough and scored three unanswered to pull within five, 15-10 but two more Panther goals from Rosselli at the free position and Foster on a feed from Mena Loescher with just over three minutes left to put the game out of reach and secured the 17-11 victory.

UP NEXT: HPU plays its second to last regular-season road contest of the year with a trip to Farmville, Va. on Wednesday (April 14) to face Longwood at 4:00 PM.

 #GoHPU