HIGH POINT, N.C. — The High Point University women's lacrosse team fell just short against William & Mary, 18-17, Wednesday night in the Panthers' home opener. High Point debuted a new lavender jersey to start a three-game home-stand in the first-ever meeting between the Panthers and Tribe.
Senior captain
Esprit Cha scored a new career-high seven goals — in which she shot a perfect 100 percent — while adding an assist to match her career-high eight points. Six of her goals came in the second half alone.
Allie Connally,
Kate Prentice,
Shannon Smith and
Reese Dowgiallo also had multi-goal performances as Connally added nine draw controls and
Lily Trout had a career-high four ground balls.
SITE: Vert Stadium
SCORE: High Point 17, William & Mary 18
RECORDS: High Point (1-4), William & Mary (3-3)
Head Coach
Lyndsey Boswell: "I'm disappointed with the first half focus. I thought we came out flat and playing individually.
One thing is true for this team; we never give up. I'm proud of Esprit for her shooting execution and our draw unit for fighting through some mid-game adjustments. We dug a hole and when we needed big plays, they didn't come. This team has grit and resilience and we've grown so much every game, so I remain optimistic and excited for what's ahead."
Smith opened the game determined to put the ball in the back of the net and did just that on the Panthers' second possession. The Panthers were able to shot-create early, finding many opportunities right at the crease.
High Point saw first-quarter goals from Prentice,
Bella Germani, Cha, Connally, and Smith. Dowgiallo hit a buzzer-beater goal to give the Panthers a 6-5 lead.
In the second quarter, both teams went back and forth. Prentice found the back of the net again, this time on a free-position shot for her fourth goal of the season and her first multi-score game as a Panther. Connally also scored her second goal of the game and 11th of the season.
The Panthers trailed by one heading into the second half, despite taking nearly double the amount of shots the Tribe did, 25-to-13.
William & Mary gained a five-goal lead in the third quarter before a free-position goal from Cha snapped the scoreless streak. With under three minutes to play in the quarter, Cha secured a hat trick and then, two minutes later, scored her fourth and fifth goals to bring the deficit down to two.
The Tribe found momentum again to begin the final 15 minutes, 16-12, but once again it was halted by Cha, who scored her sixth and seventh goals of the game to surpass 23 points on the season.
Less than a minute later, Smith scored her second of the game to bring the score within one with 10:23 left. Brockamp and Dowgiallo quickly gave the Panthers the lead at 17-16. Despite the comeback, William & Mary was able to tie the game back up and recapture the lead.
Up Next: The Panthers will stay home and take on the Elon Phoenix on Wednesday, March 12 at 5 p.m.
#GoHPU
