GAFFNEY, S.C. (Feb. 28) – Despite outscoring their opponent in the second half, the Trojans were unable to overcome a seven-goal deficit in a 14-8 loss on the road against Limestone on Friday evening in non-conference action.
With the loss, the University of Mount Olive women's lacrosse team drops to 1-3 overall with its previous two opponents ranking among the top 25 in NCAA Division II. It marked the first meeting in four years between the sides after facing off annually in the Conference Carolinas before the Saints moved to the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) in 2020. Meanwhile, Limestone improves to 4-2 this season while scoring 13 or more goals in four-of-six contests.
Fifth-year
Logan Hibbard registered her second hat trick of the season while adding two draw controls and one ground ball. Sophomore
Kayanna Bowden totaled one goal, two draw controls, and one caused turnover against the Saints.
In the first quarter, UMO recorded the opening goal of the game at the 13:06 mark after senior
Rileigh White found the back of the cage for the fourth time this season, 1-0. Limestone countered with six unanswered goals in a 10-minute stretch before Hibbard netted a goal with 1:58 remaining to trail by a 6-2 margin. The Saints scored three of the initial four goals of the second quarter with the lone goal by the Trojans produced by Hibbard via a free-position shot. Hibbard completed her hat trick at the 5:42 mark to trim the deficit to 9-4 before Limestone added two goals to head into the break with an 11-4 advantage.
Fifth-year
Jenna Mish registered the opening goal of the third quarter at the 13:56 mark to trail 11-5. The Saints tallied two goals later in the quarter before senior
Lena DeFilippo scored a free position goal in the final seconds to close the gap to 13-6. In a low-scoring fourth quarter, Bowden found the back of the cage in a man-down situation, but Limestone quickly countered with a goal, 14-7. Freshman
Lyndzy Palensky scored in the closing seconds of the contest in a 14-8 loss on the road.
Senior goalkeeper
Anna James earned the start and collected five saves while playing for a majority of the first half. Sophomore
Ruby Burandt tallied two saves in 17-plus minutes as a reserve while fellow sophomore
Karissa Doerr registered two stops in 13:07.
The Trojans return to Ray McDonald Sr. Sports Complex on Tuesday, March 4, to face Wingate, starting at 1 p.m.
