HIGH POINT N.C. — In the 2026 season opener, the High Point University women's lacrosse team fell to 14th-ranked Duke University, 14-6, on Friday night.
SITE: Vert Stadium
SCORE: High Point 6, No. 14 Duke 14
RECORDS: High Point (0-1), Duke (1-0)
Head Coach Lyndsey Boswell: "We are disappointed with the result tonight. I thought we were better than what the final score showed. We went into the game well prepared, but couldn't gain momentum early on offense and it put us in a place to pivot from the game plan after halftime. I'm really proud of the defense for stepping up at different points, and excited to see how we can learn from this game and put both ends together next weekend."
The Panthers' starting lineup saw eight returning starters, while
Laney Schmith and
Lauren Pujolar earned their first career starts and
Caitlyn Baehr returned after a two-year hiatus.
Duke started the season opener on a 5-0 scoring run before senior
Reese Dowgiallo used a crease roll to score the Panthers' first goal of 2026.
The Blue Devils answered with a pair of goals, and then seniors Dowgiallo and
Shannon Smith scored in back-to-back possessions before halftime. Dowgiallo drove it straight to the cage, creating her own shot while Smith followed by intercepting a pass and scoring her first this season. The HPU defense forced a game-high six turnovers in the second quarter alone and 13 total as
Ava Welsh had seven saves in the cage.
The Panthers matched Duke's three second-quarter goals and netted another trio in the second half.
Bella Germani scored her season's first in the third quarter with a rip into the left corner, while Smith scored her second goal with authority to answer the Blue Devils' three-goal run.
Duke netted a pair more before Dowgiallo secured her hat trick in the final minute.
Haley Urban and Germani had a team-high two caused turnovers each, while Welsh led the Panthers with four ground balls as Germani, Urban and Smith all had two each.
Next Up: The Panthers welcome Campbell to Vert Stadium on Saturday, February 14 at 1 p.m.
#GoHPU x #RollThers
