BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C.— The Montreat women's lacrosse team kept its winning streak going Tuesday night as the Cavaliers utilized a 10-goal performance from Kate Gauntlett to defeat the Thomas More University Saints in a thriller, 17-16. With their third consecutive win, the Cavs improved to 3-2 on the season.
 
Gauntlett, the reigning Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Women's Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week, led the Cavalier offense in the initial quarter of action. The Dawsonville, Ga. native opened the scoring just 1:44 into the contest, and she answered a Saints goal to put the Cavs back in front, 2-1, with 4:37 left in the period.
 
Montreat controlled the possession in the first frame, and it aided the hosts as they established a 3-1 lead late. Off a feed from Izzy Knight, Dovie Yates tallied her 13^th goal of the season and moved the Cavaliers ahead by a pair with 21 seconds left on the clock. Kierra Stephens added a couple of saves in the opening  quarter to ensure Montreat's lead through 15 minutes of play.
 
Thomas More (1-4) held the upper hand in the second, outscoring Montreat by a pair of goals to level the scoreboard at five entering halftime. The Saints notched the first two goals of the frame just 25 seconds apart, and, after Yates and Gauntlett totaled their second and third strikes of the night, respectively, the visitors came right back with two more late in the period to tie the game at five.
 
Not only was the score even at halftime, but both sides found themselves level in several categories during the intermission. While the Cavs took more shots through 30 minutes (16-10), each team placed nine of their attempts on frame and saved four of those tries. Both teams also accrued six draw controls. Offensively, Gauntlett (3) and Yates (2) combined for all five Cavalier goals, while Stephens made four saves.
 
The Saints grabbed their first lead of the night 52 seconds into the second half, but the lead was short-lived. After falling behind for the first time, Montreat responded with eight of the next nine goals, four of which came off the stick of Gauntlett. Hannah Jarboe added a pair during the span, while Izzy Knight and Mina Hicks got on the scoresheet to build a 6-goal lead (13-7). TMU added a tally with 1:15 remaining in the frame, but Montreat entered the final quarter with a 13-8 edge.
 
Not to be outdone, the Saints went on a large run to even the score at 14. Including its late tally in the third, Thomas More scored seven of the ensuing eights goals to put the game's result in doubt; however, when the going got tough, the Cavaliers leaned on their NAIA All-American. Gauntlett handed Montreat leads at 15-14 and 16-15, giving her 10 goals on the night, which matched the Cavs' single-game scoring record. Aleea Bone tacked on a crucial insurance goal late, allowing the hosts to hang on for a thrilling 17-16 non-conference win.
 
Montreat helped swing the contest in its favor behind a significant draw control edge (23-13). With the extra possessions, the Cavs took seven more shots (35-28) and placed two more tries on frame (24-22).
 
Gauntlett finished the night with 10 goals on 15 shots taken, while both Yates and Jarboe contributed a pair of scores. Yates and Hicks led the team with two assists each, and Knight paced the Cavs with 13 draw controls and four ground balls.
 
The Montreat women's lacrosse team makes its return to AAC action on Saturday with a road clash at No. 3 Reinhardt University. Opening draw control is set for 2:30 p.m. in Waleska, Ga.