BELMONT, N.C. (March 20) – In a rematch of the 2023 Conference Championship Game, the Trojans secure a massive 11-9 victory at Belmont Abbey on Wednesday afternoon in Conference Carolinas action.
With the win, the University of Mount Olive women's lacrosse team claims its third straight win to improve to 6-2 this season with a 3-0 record in league play. It marks the 38th consecutive conference win for UMO while the Trojans collect their ninth victory in a row over the Crusaders. Meanwhile, Belmont Abbey falls to 7-5 overall behind a 5-1 mark in conference action.
In the opening quarter, the Crusaders scored the initial goal of the contest at the 13:38 mark before freshman
Caroline Clark answered back to tie the contest at 1-1. With 6:17 remaining in the first, Belmont Abbey regained the lead at 2-1 before the Trojans scored three straight goals over the final five-plus minutes of the quarter. Junior
Teagan Dunnett tied the contest at 2-2 before senior
Lena DeFilippo registered a free-position goal, 3-2. Sophomore
Hailey Morgan scored in the closing minute to put the Trojans ahead 4-2. In the second quarter, junior
Rileigh White recorded her first goal of the contest to extend the lead to 5-2, but the Crusaders countered with a man-down goal at the 11:03 mark, 5-3. Clark produced her second goal of the game with eight minutes remaining before Belmont Abbey scored back-to-back goals in the final 47 seconds to trail 6-5 at the break.
Dunnett delivered a man-up goal in the opening minutes of the third before senior
Logan Hibbard netted a free-position goal with 10:49 left in the quarter. The Crusaders responded once again to cut the deficit to 8-6 before Clark completed her hat trick off an assist by White at the 3:49 mark, 9-6. Belmont Abbey closed the gap to 9-7 late in the third quarter, but DeFilippo netted another goal in the final minute to take a 10-7 advantage. In the fourth, Dunnett finished her hat trick on a man-up opportunity to build an 11-7 lead. The Crusaders tallied two goals in the final five minutes of the contest, but the Trojans went on to secure the 11-9 win.
Sophomore
Anna James earned the win after collecting six saves on 18 shots faced in 60 minutes of action. Defensively, sophomore
Madison Dow forced three caused turnovers and totaled four ground balls.
The Trojans return to Ray McDonald Sr. Sports Complex on Saturday, March 23, for a non-conference game against Lenoir-Rhyne, starting at 3 p.m.
