ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (March 10) – Despite a strong first-half performance on Monday afternoon, the University of Mount Olive women's lacrosse program fell by a 17-7 margin to No. 16-ranked Flagler in non-conference action.
With the loss, the Trojans fall to 1-6 overall following a fifth-straight contest against a nationally-ranked opponent. Mount Olive is set to return to Ray McDonald Sr. Sports Complex on Friday, March 14, for a non-conference match versus Findlay at 4 p.m. Meanwhile, the Saints improve to 3-4 this season after claiming a second-straight Gulf South Conference (GSC) title and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2024.
Mount Olive featured seven different goal scorers on Monday, as junior
Maddy Fratus and redshirt sophomore
Katie Broom led the Trojans with two-point performances (one goal, one assist). Fifth-year
Logan Hibbard tallied one goal while pacing the team with six draw controls.
The Trojans jumped ahead by a 2-0 margin in the initial four-plus minutes following free-position goals by Fratus and sophomore
Kayanna Bowden. The Saints responded with four straight goals before Broom netted a goal with 13 seconds left in the first quarter, 4-3. Sophomore
Caroline Clark tied the contest at 4-4 at the 11:35 mark of the second, but Flagler quickly answered with a free-position goal. With 10:05 remaining, senior
Lena DeFilippo knotted the game with her first goal of the contest, 5-5. The Saints would record three consecutive goals to hold an 8-5 edge before freshman Morghan Pollack netted a man-up goal in the final minutes, 8-6.
In the third quarter, Flagler managed to pull away following five unanswered goals in the opening six minutes, 13-6. Hibbard scored the lone goal for the Trojans in the third off an assist by Broom at the 6:40 mark, while the Saints produced another goal to take a 14-7 advantage in the final quarter. The Trojans were held scoreless in the fourth and registered just one shot, as Flagler added three insurance goals to secure the 17-7 victory.
Senior goalkeeper
Anna James totaled five saves while playing 47-plus minutes, while sophomore
Karissa Doerr closed out the final 12:54 and tallied a pair of saves. Defensively, sophomore Simone McGraw registered two caused turnovers, one draw control, and one ground ball.
Flagler outshot Mount Olive by a 31-19 margin while holding a 15-13 edge in draw controls.
Mount Olive returns home on Friday, March 14, to face Findlay in a non-conference action, starting at 4 p.m.
