High Point Jumps Out and Buries Wagner
from press release
HIGH POINT, N.C. - The High Point University
women’s lacrosse team scored the first nine goals en route to
a 15-2 victory over Wagner College on Thursday night at Vert
Stadium. Junior Grace Gaeng (Bel Air, Md./The John Carroll School
(Maryland)) scored three goals and had one assist, five draw
controls and had three ground balls and freshman Mackenzie Carroll
(Arnold, Md./Severn) scored four goals.
"We played the full 60 minutes and everyone contributed," said HPU
head coach Lyndsey Boswell. "We were able to get everybody minutes
and, from top to bottom, everyone executed. Grace Gaeng was
unbelieveable all over the field. She took our draws, placed them
well and won a few. She controlled the offense and did all the
little things. Mackenzie Carroll is finally back from her ankle
injury and she played well."
"We played two full strings of defense and they both did what we
wanted," added Boswell. "Lauren Hayes has been doing a great job in
goal and tonight was no different."
High Point improved to 4-2 on the year while the Seahawks dropped
to 1-3.
Carroll also added four ground balls and Chelsea Thompson (Arnold,
Md./Broadneck) and Alexis Goldman (Winter Springs, Fla./Winter
Springs (St. Andrews Presbyterian)) each scored a pair of goals.
Cissy Woodyard (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) grabbed six ground
balls and goalie Lauren Hayes (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown
(Connecticut)) made six save for her fourth win.
High Point won the first six draw controls and was able to break up
the Wagner defense early. Junior Heather Ziccarelli (Rochester,
N.Y./Rush Henrietta (Monroe CC)) scored the first goal of the game
just 33 seconds into it and Christie Dougherty (Rocky Point,
N.Y./Rocky Point) netted another 25 seconds later, giving the
Panthers a two-goal lead less than a minute into the game. Gaeng,
Carroll and Thompson each added goals within the first 10 minutes,
prompting a Wagner timeout. The Panthers led 7-0 at halftime, with
Wagner managing just three shots (all Hayes saves).
High Point continued its scoring ways early in the second half when
Gaeng scored her second goal of the night less than six minutes in.
After some nifty passing from the HPU offense, Gaeng got the ball
in front of the cage just outside the goalie’s area, made a
spin move off a defender and fired a backhanded shot past Wagner
goalie Morgan Roach in the upper right corner. Thompson followed
three minutes later, scoring her team-leading 14th goal of the
season and second of the day.
Wagner got on the board with 22:40 remaining when defender Denieda
McCullough netted her first tally of the season. Carolyn Clark also
scored for the Seahawks, her score coming with 6:42 left to
play.
Late in the game, Carroll added a pair of scores 33 seconds apart.
The first came when she maneuvered through three Seahawk defenders
and bounced a shot past the goalie, and the second came on a
wraparound shot to the upper right corner from the left side of the
cage. Freshman Sara Noyes (Ocean City, Md./Worcester Prep) recorded
her first collegiate point via a goal coming with 9:29 remaining
that increased the HPU lead to 14-1.
Wagner starter Marcel Hernandez made four saves in the first 21:29
before being relieved by Roach, who played the last 38:31 and made
five stops.
High Point returns to action this Saturday when it hosts the
Colonials of Robert Morris University. Faceoff is set for noon at
Vert Stadium.
