SPARTANBURG, S.C. (April 17) – For a fourth consecutive season, the University of Mount Olive women's lacrosse program captured the Conference Carolinas regular season title following a 21-4 victory at Converse on Wednesday evening in Conference Carolinas action.
With the win, the Trojans secure a fifth straight win and improve to 14-3 this season with a perfect 9-0 record in league play. Mount Olive completed the regular season undefeated for a fifth consecutive year and extended its conference winning streak to 43 in a row. The Trojans will enter the Conference Carolinas Championship as the No. 1 seed, which will be hosted this year at the Ray McDonald Sr. Sports Complex. Meanwhile, the Valkyries closed the regular season with an 8-8 record behind a 4-5 mark in conference action.
Senior
Logan Hibbard finished with nine points behind five goals and four assists while adding seven draw controls, three caused turnovers, and four ground balls. Junior
Rileigh White recorded a seven-point performance with two goals and five assists, while fifth-year
Bria Hamilton produced a hat trick with six draw controls.
The Trojans delivered five straight goals in the opening quarter with a pair scored by junior
Lena DeFilippo. The Valkyries answered with their first goal of the game at the 2:21 mark before UMO countered with four additional goals in the final 1:50 of the first quarter, 9-1. Hibbard tallied a pair of goals during that stretch while White totaled three assists in the quarter. In the second, Mount Olive recorded five goals while holding Converse scoreless and forcing six turnovers. Hamilton and White each scored on a free-position shot while on a man-up opportunity to extend the UMO lead to 14-1 at the break.
Mount Olive netted a pair of goals to begin the third quarter with sophomore
Maddy Fratus and Hamilton finding the back of the cage, 16-1. The Valkyries recorded their second goal of the game at the 8:04 mark before Hibbard and junior
Teagan Dunnett rattled the cage to build an 18-2 advantage. In the fourth, UMO scored three of the final five goals of the game to secure a 21-4 win.
Junior
Anna James collected the win after totaling three saves in 31-plus minutes of action while Hobbs closed out the final 28:38 of the contest with one stop.
Mount Olive finished with a 40-8 shot advantage over Converse while going 15-of-16 on clear attempts.
Mount Olive returns to action in the semifinals of the Conference Carolinas Championship on Thursday, April 25, with the start time set for noon at Ray McDonald Sr. Sports Complex.
