MOUNT OLIVE (Feb. 17) – Facing a top-five nationally ranked opponent, the No. 23 University of Mount Olive women's lacrosse team suffered a 21-12 loss versus No. 4 Florida Southern in non-conference play at Ray McDonald Sr. Sports Complex on Friday evening.

With the loss, the Trojans fall to 0-2 overall after opening the 2023 campaign with a pair of ranked opponents. Meanwhile, the Mocs begin the season 1-0 with a roster featuring four preseason All-Americans after returning to the NCAA postseason for the first time since 2019.

Florida Southern netted seven unanswered goals, all from different players, in the opening seven-plus minutes of the game, including a pair of free-position goals. At the 2:24 mark of the first, senior Meagan Maxwell scored off a pass from junior Logan Hibbard to put the Trojans on the board, 7-1. Nearing the end of the quarter, the Mocs extended the lead with another free-position goal, 8-1. In the final 50 seconds, graduate student Morgan Paige scored her second goal of the year to trim the deficit to 8-2. In the second, Florida Southern added a pair of goals in the initial two minutes of the quarter before Mount Olive scored three-straight goals. Hibbard, graduate student Ali Davis, and sophomore Rileigh White all found the back of the net, 10-5. Following back-to-back goals by the Mocs, senior Ellie Fedorowski scored her second goal of the season, as UMO was able to bring the match within six at the 1:42 mark, 12-6. With 35 seconds left of the first half, senior Bria Hamilton put one past the keeper with the Trojans trailing 13-7 at the break.

In the second half, Florida Southern registered six consecutive goals to restore a comfortable 19-7 advantage before Davis scored her second goal of the game at the 3:55 mark, 19-8. The Mocs scored their final two goals of the game in the last two minutes of the third to bring the score to 21-8. The Trojans tallied four goals in the fourth after Hibbard, Paige, Maxwell, and Hamilton all scored their second goals of the contest, 21-12.

Hamilton recorded two goals, two ground balls, and eight draw controls, while UMO featured three different goalies on Friday.

Mount Olive returns to play on Monday, Feb. 20, as it takes on Roberts Wesleyan in non-conference action at 4 p.m. in Ray McDonald Sr. Sports Complex.