SWEET BRIAR, Va.— The Montreat women's lacrosse team recorded a non-conference regular season victory over the NCAA Division III Sweet Briar College Vixens on the road Sunday afternoon, ending their year with a 20-10 triumph.
 
Kristen Wilson started the scoring for the Cavaliers, notching her second goal of the season just 23 seconds into the contest off a feed from Aleea Bone. Following a pair of scores from the home team, Kate Gauntlett and Izzy Knight tallied goals to bring the Cavs level as the teams were knotted at three through 15 minutes.
 
After a close first frame, the Cavaliers outscored Sweet Briar in each of the remaining quarters to pull away from the Vixens. In the second, Montreat outpaced SBC 6-2 thanks to a 4-0 run, including three more from Gauntlett, as the Cavs went up 7-4 midway through the period. Bone and Mina Hicks each collected a late man-up goal to give the visitors a 9-5 advantage at the break.
 
Two additional goals from Gauntlett and one from Bone stretched the lead to seven only 3:24 into the third. Though the Vixens pulled a pair of scores back, the Cavaliers utilized tallies from Bone, Hicks and Gauntlett to go up 15-8 with 15 minutes to play.
 
Another 4-0 run fueled by the final three of Bone's six goals built the Montreat lead to 11 (19-8) with 10:43 remaining in the game. Bone ended the season with an even 60 goals to go with 81 points, both second on the team. Dovie Yates concluded the scoring for the Cavs, who took the contest by 10.
 
Overall, Gauntlett added a game-high seven goals and three assists to her impressive year, finishing the game with an NAIA-best 114 goals and a program-high 162 points. Her 114 goals rank as the third-most in a single season by a women's lacrosse player in NAIA history.
 
Bone contributed with a pair of helpers, while Hicks, Yates and Hannah Jarboe each notched one. Knight ended with two goals and Hicks had three. Carlie Henning made eight stops in net for the Cavaliers, including five key saves in the first half, which kept Montreat within striking distance until the Cavs took over.
 
The Cavaliers outshot the Vixens 43-22 and 32-18 in shots on frame. While clears were nearly even for both squads as Montreat held a 16-15 edge, and Sweet Briar captured more ground balls (15-12), free position shots (9-6) and forced turnovers (23-18), a 25-9 advantage in draw controls saw the Cavs produce several quality possessions and scoring chances that made the difference in the competition.
 
Following its defeat in the Appalachian Athletic Conference postseason, women's lacrosse capped off its 2022 campaign with a 12-7 (4-3 AAC) record.