MACON, Ga. – The Wofford College women's lacrosse team fell out of the Big South Tournament in the semifinals after losing to the High Point Panthers, 15-9, on Friday evening in Five Star Stadium. The Panthers held the Terriers from scoring for 33 minutes, while pushing ahead to a 13-3 lead. A five-goal fourth quarter was not enough for the Terriers to come back in the end.
Wofford (9-10, 6-2) was led by two goals each from
Ainsleigh Mancini,
Ella Davis and
Carlie Cutinella.
Katie Brosseau provided two assists while four other Terriers grabbed points. The Panthers held the shot advantage, 28-23. High Point picked up 21 ground balls, while Wofford grabbed 12, with
Brooke Meltcher and
Hannah Taylor picking up two each. Wofford caused eight turnovers to the Panthers' 13, with Graebner causing three. The Terriers only allowed the Panthers to win six draws while Wofford grabbed 20;
Vivian Chiomento had 12 of her own.
The Panthers found the back of the net first with a goal after two minutes of play. After winning the subsequent draw control, High Point caught the Terriers off guard with another goal, less than 20 seconds later. Wofford's problems continued to compound, with HPU able to cut off a misplaced pass on two separate occasions to go up, 4-0, within the first three minutes of the game. The Terriers were able to breathe after
Mia Leon converted a free position shot, but the Panthers converted one of their own to keep the offensive pressure up. As Wofford surged down the field to keep itself in the game,
Ella Davis was able to score two goals within one minute. The Panthers tacked on one more goal to hold a three-goal margin before the end of the first quarter, 6-3.
The Terriers were unable to capitalize on an early two-woman-up situation to cut into the lead. The Panthers also struggled offensively until there were 8:43 left in the half, following it up with another goal three minutes later.
Ella Davis nearly broke Wofford's scoring drought with two quick shots but was unable to find the back of the net, 8-3. The drought continued into most of the third quarter, with the Panthers able to score five more goals before the Terriers could find a goal. After 33 minutes without a goal,
Ava Santanastasio found the back of the net just before the end of the third quarter, 13-4.
Wofford was able to carry its newfound offensive momentum into the final quarter, and
Ainsleigh Mancini converted a free position shot within one minute. It did not take long for High Point to return to its scoring ways. The Terriers continued to create chances leading to two goals from
Carlie Cutinella, while Mancini and
Vivian Chiomento were able to find the net. It was too late for Wofford to surmount the ten-goal deficit it had found itself in, but was able to bring the game within six goals, ending their season to the Panthers, 15-9.
Earning their highest seed ever in the Big South tournament, the Terriers were able to advance to the semifinals for a consecutive season while tying the program record for wins with nine on the season. In
Jessie Aguglia's fourth season, Wofford was able to set new season records in assists (114), ground balls (192), and draw controls (301).
