HIGH POINT, N.C. — Seniors
Allie Connally and
Esprit Cha scored six points apiece as the High Point University women's lacrosse team finished on top in a back-and-forth Triad rivalry triumph of Elon University, 17-15, Wednesday night.
SITE: Vert Stadium
SCORE: High Point 17, Elon 15
RECORDS: High Point (2-4), Elon (3-4)
Head Coach Lyndsey Boswell: "We've had a lot of tests early in the season, and I feel like tonight things came together for us. I'm just so, so proud of the seniors and moving forward we hope to build on this. Elon is a really good team; they play hard and always give us their best. It's always a battle and we love the competition. I think we've learned a lot, and I think the girls know what they need to do and now they know what they are capable of in a tight game. I'm really proud to get this one at home and looking forward to hosting Coastal on Saturday."
For the third straight year, the margin of error was slim for both teams. The Panthers knocked off the Phoenix by a goal at their place last year after Elon took one from HPU the season before.
But on Wednesday, High Point had the last say for the second straight year as the Panthers won their sixth all-time against the cross-town rival.
Connally netted what proved to be the game-winning score with 3:13 remaining on a free-position goal. The senior was all over the field Wednesday, tying her career-high best four assists and six points while forcing a career-high three caused turnovers. She also had a team-tying best five draw controls.
In the next possession, the Phoenix had an 8-meter attempt, but the shot was high and off target as senior
Mandy Brockamp scooped up the ground ball and gave it to goalie
Ava Welsh. Brockamp had three ground balls as the sophomore Welsh scooped four more and had 15 saves in the cage.
The Panthers protected the lead from there. Cha put the finishing touches on the victory when she deposited the dagger with 42 seconds remaining. It's the third game this season where she's scored six or more goals. The senior attacker is 13-for-14 on shots in her last two games as she's been a perfect 3-for-3 on 8-meter shots.
"It's a start of something big for our team this year," Cha said. "We have been grinding and grinding to pull out wins to improve and have tough conversations after losses. It's really exciting when it comes together, and I think that momentum we are going to get from this win, especially at home, is going to be really good for our next game."
The two teams swapped leads all game as the Panthers took the 10-9 lead into halftime. Elon used a three-goal run to begin the third period, but
Lily Trout halted it on a woman-up goal that gave the freshman her first-career hat trick.
From there, the teams continued to exchange goals as
Shannon Smith and
Bella Germani, who scored two goals each, had key scores late to keep the Panthers neck-and-neck with the Phoenix.
Tatum Goettelmann netted her first goal this season, while
Reese Dowgiallo scored for the fifth straight game and added two assists.
Julia Dustin caused three turnovers and scooped four ground balls as
Gracie Vickery won five draw controls. The Panthers had 24 ground balls to the Phoenix' 16, while converting 8-of-12 free-position shots as Elon only was successful on 3-for-12.
Up Next: The Panthers host Coastal Carolina to cap a three-game homestand on Saturday, March 15 at 1 p.m.
#GoHPU
