MACON, Ga. — For the ninth time in 10 seasons, the High Point University Women's lacrosse team has advanced to the Big South Championship. The second-seeded Panthers started fast against the third-seeded Wofford College Terriers in the tournament semifinal and never slowed down en route to a 15-9 victory at Five Star Stadium.
HPU was paced by senior attacker Reese Dowgiallo, who recorded her fourth hat trick of the season, while nine total Panthers scored and four Panthers — Lily Trout, Bella Germani, Kate Prentice, and Ava Grandi — added two goals apiece. Senior defender Sydney Martin surpassed 100 career ground balls as she led the Panthers with three ground balls.
The Panthers will play for their 14th Big South title on Sunday against top-seeded Mercer at 12:00 p.m.
Head Coach Lyndsey Boswell: "I'm really proud of the entire team tonight. I felt like this was a good team win. We had a lot of support coming off the bench and made an impact. I'm really proud of everybody tonight. Our pace of play is what gave us a kick-start and the pressure that we put on them in the ride is something that I am really proud of. We showed a lot of grit and determination in the first part of the game and then throughout. I'm excited to see what we can get done on Sunday. We are just staying in the present right now and keeping our eyes on us and not getting distracted by everything else that is going on this weekend. It's one play at a time, one quarter at a time, and I love this team. I feel like they want to continue to play together and so, we are going to make this last as long as we can."
SITE: Five Star Stadium
SCORE: High Point 15, Wofford 9
RECORDS: High Point (8-9), Wofford (9-10)
Dowgiallo found the rhythm for the Panthers early after connecting with Trout and netting the first goal of the postseason. Eight seconds later, Grandi followed Dowgiallo and recorded the Panthers' second goal. Then, it was Prentice who scored — via an assist from Dowgiallo — followed by Trout, who scored her own goal with just over 12 minutes remaining to jumpstart a quick four-goal advantage. In that sequence, the Panthers had two caused turnovers — one from Shannon Smith and the other from Trout — which led to transition scores.
The Terriers got their first goal on the board, but senior Bella Germani quickly responded with her first before Dowgiallo netted her second after a pair of Wofford scores.
Kate Prentice, with just under nine minutes remaining in the half, scored her second, and then minutes later, Germani sniped one in for the 8-3 halftime lead.
Anna Mullikin extended it to a six-goal lead after scoring her first on a free-position shot. Trout was once again on point, connecting with Smith, who recorded her first goal in the third quarter to pair with two ground balls and two caused turnovers. Shortly after, Dowgiallo struck again, recording a hat trick.
Grandi and Trout added their second scores in the third quarter to take the 13-4 lead into the fourth quarter. The Terriers only scored one goal in the third quarter.
Mairin Kelly and Tatum Goettelmann added goals in the final 15 minutes. Ava Welsh had nine saves, two ground balls and a caused turnover in the cage; meanwhile, Haley Urban and Caitlyn Baehr had two ground balls.
Up Next: The Panthers are staying in Macon for the Big South Championship game against Mercer University. The Championship game is on Sunday, May 3 at 12 pm.
#GoHPU
