Macon, Ga. - The High Point University women
's lacrosse team traveled down south to face off against Mercer University with first place in the Big South Conference on the line. The Panthers fell to the Bears, 16-13.
High Point was led by
Shannon Smith, who finished with three goals. Four other Panthers had two goals apiece:
Reese Dowgiallo,
Allie Connally,
Bella Germani, and
Sarah Johnson. Connally secured her 100th draw control of her career and had nine of High Point
's 16 draw controls.
Site: Five Star Stadium
Score: High Point 13, Mercer 16
Records: High Point (9-5, 5-1), Mercer (8-6, 5-0)
Head Coach Lyndsey Boswell:
"Unfortunately, we did not play our best game today. We lacked execution. I
'm looking forward to getting back to work and figuring out how we can get ourselves clicking on all ends of the field. I thought there were a few bright moments, but there just weren
't enough of them. I am really proud of the fight that our draw unit showed. There were moments of unit play on defense, and we created some offense. We just didn
't get enough opportunities, and at the end of the day, Mercer is a good team. They always give us their best, and we
'll be ready if there is a next time."
The Panthers started the game with a strong defensive stand, with a save by goalie
Ava Welsh.
Lily Trout opened up the scoring for the Panthers off a pass from Connally.
After Mercer tied the game at one, Connally was able to find the back of the net for a goal of her own. Despite a lot of contact, Germani scored her first goal of the game to give the Panthers a 3-1 lead.
The Panthers' defense held strong through the remainder of the first quarter with a 3-2 lead.
Mercer took a 6-3 lead before Smith scored to bring the deficit down to two with 6:36 remaining in the first half. High Point went into halftime down, 7-3.
Dowgiallo became the fifth Panther to score on the day to bring the game back within three at 8-5.
Mercer extended its lead to seven, but with 2:20 remaining in the third quarter, Johnson scored on a free-position shot. Then Connally scored her second goal with just under 10 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Germani scored to bring the game within four off of an assist from Dowgiallo. High Point bounced back after a Mercer goal with another Johnson score that Germani assisted. It was Johnson's first career multi-score game as her first-career assist came on the next play.
"I was really proud of Sarah for being ready and continuing to prepare herself regardless of the amount of minutes she is getting. She showed up big time for us today, and she was a spark all over the field. I am really proud of her," Boswell said.
Johnson found Smith for her second goal of the game, and the Panthers brought the total to 13-10.
Esprit Cha stopped a three-goal Mercer run on a free-position shot with 5:45 left in the game. Dowgiallo then scored her second goal of the game.
Smith scored her third goal of the game, and the hat trick, with under one minute to play from a Dowgiallo pass. However, it was not enough in the end.
Tatum Mehring led the team in ground balls with four as
Haley Urban added another three. Welsh had nine saves in the cage, while
Joy Coffey added two after relieving her in the fourth quarter.
Up Next: The Panthers will look to get one back in the win column against Wofford College at home on Wednesday, April 16, at 5 p.m.
