LAURINBURG, N.C.— The Montreat women's lacrosse team couldn't overcome a talented St. Andrews University squad on the road Wednesday afternoon, as it was defeated 21-18 in its Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) opener. With the loss in Laurinburg, N.C., the Cavaliers fell to 4-3 (0-1 AAC) on the season.
St. Andrews (1-4, 1-0 AAC) burst out of the gates on Wednesday, scoring two goals in the opening 52 seconds to seize and early 2-0 advantage. A
Kate Gauntlett goal at the 12:57 mark halved the deficit, but the hosts quickly tallied two more scores to lead Montreat 4-1 after just 3:57.
Like the home team, the Cavaliers also had a 4-1 stretch in them.
Izzy Knight and
Dovie Yates whittled the Knights' lead to just a single goal, and after a St. Andrews strike,
Mina Hicks whipped two shots into the net to tie the contest at five. The hosts would go on to score with 1:18 left in the first quarter, but the Cavs turned their three-goal hole into just a one-goal deficit (6-5) after 15 minutes of play.
Aleea Bone scored two Montreat goals midway through the second frame to keep pace with a pair of SAU scores with 7:58 left in the half (8-7); however, the Knights went on to score three of the final four goals in the quarter to enter the intermission with an 11-8 lead. Gauntlett recorded the lone Montreat tally in the closing minutes to keep the Cavs within shouting distance.
The Knights held a considerable advantage over the Cavaliers in several statistical categories at the half, including total shots (33-14), shots on goal (23-11) and draw controls (17-4).
Carlie Henning, who made 11 saves through 30 minutes of action, kept the Cavaliers close against an aggressive Knights' squad. On the offensive side of play, the trio of Bone, Hicks and Gauntlett recorded two goals apiece. Hicks also added a pair of assists, while Gauntlett dished out one helper.
Picking up where they left off, the Knights controlled the possession and play midway through the third quarter. St. Andrews scored the first four tallies of the frame, capping off a 6-0 run that extended back to the final 3:18 of the opening half.
Two Hicks goals sandwiched a Gauntlett strike, giving both a hat trick on the afternoon and pulling the Cavaliers to within 15-11 at the 1:25 mark of the third quarter. Gauntlett then answered a St. Andrews goal just 75 seconds later to join Hicks with four scores on day and trail by four (16-12) entering the final frame of regulation.
Hicks and Gauntlett did a lot of the heavy lifting for the Montreat offense in the final quarter, with each player scoring two of the team's six goals. Yates and Knight both recorded their second scores of the contest in the fourth frame as well. Despite the strong offensive quarter for Montreat, the St. Andrews offense continued firing on all cylinders. The Knights totaled their third consecutive quarter in which they scored five goals, and it helped the hosts close out Montreat to take the victory, 21-18.
As they've done on numerous occasions this season, Hicks and Gauntlett led the way offensively for Montreat. Both players found the back of the net six times, with Hicks (2) handing out one more assist than Gauntlett (1). The six goals and eight points were both a career high for Hicks. Knight and Yates each registered a pair of goals and assists, while Bone added two scores. Henning made a career-high 18 saves over 60 minutes in net for the Cavs.
St. Andrews won the draw controls on Wednesday, taking 31 of the 43 center-circle draws. Those extra possessions led to extra shot opportunities, with the Knights outshooting the Cavaliers overall (56-34) and on target (41-31).
The Montreat women's lacrosse team remains on the road this Saturday to face off with No. 7 SCAD-Savannah in an AAC battle. Opening draw is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in Savannah, Ga.
