SWEET BRIAR, Va. – It was a dominant second half for the Guilford College women's lacrosse team, who outscored Sweet Briar College 11-2 in the back-30 to pick up win number-one, 16-4, on Tuesday night at Meyer Field.
With the win, the Quakers level their record at 1-1 on the young season. On the other side, the Vixens dropped to 0-2.
Guilford found the back of the net 16 times in the contest, their most since finishing the 2022 season with a 17-goal showing against Greensboro College. They also scored seven times in the third frame, matching their highest-scoring quarter from last season when they scored seven in the opening stanza against Randolph. Their 12-goal margin of victory also matches their best mark from a season ago against North Carolina Wesleyan.
Zenna Carson (Blacksburg, Va.) was superb in net for GC, stopping two-thirds of the 12 shots on frame that she faced on the evening across the first three quarters of play, improving to 1-1 in goal on the season.
Sam Keene (Greensboro, N.C.) and
Gabby Matthews (Kernersville, N.C.) each appeared in the final frame with Matthews stopping both shots she faced. Kat Navarro went the distance for SWC allowing 16 goals against nine saves, taking the loss to fall to 0-2.
Maggie Hartnett (Hebron, Maine) and
Kylie Horn (Fairfax, Va.) scored a quartet of goals apiece to lead the Quakers offense with the former adding four assists on the evening.
Riley Gravley (Greensboro, N.C.) pitched in another three goals while
Kylie Wood (Greensboro, N.C.) had two goals and a helper.
Emma Garland (Hampstead, N.C.) scooped up a game-best seven draw controls in the win for GC.
Victoria Schofield and Valen Foster scored two goals each for the hosts. Jamison Tarver collected a game-high ten ground balls as well.
Guilford wasted little time getting on the board as Gravley found paydirt on a free-position look just over 90 seconds in. The Vixens would counter at just under 11-minute mark with Foster scoring on the man-advantage but it would be all Quakers from there. Horn netted her first before Gravley tacked on two more, one on the man-advantage and the other on the man-disadvantage, as GC led 4-1 after one.
The second quarter would be a quiet one with just ten combined shots and the squads split the two tallies in the period. Schofield found the back of the net for the hosts with Hartnett countering for the guests making the score 5-2 at the break.
The onslaught was on in the third frame, but it did not begin that way. The first four and a half minutes transpired in uneventful fashion, but then suddenly, like an avalanche, the Quakers struck. Wood,
Maggie Bryson (Kernersville, N.C.), Horn, and Hartnett all scored in quick succession. If you got up to visit the concession stand at Meyer Field, you probably would have missed it with the four strikes occurring within two minutes of game time. Sweet Briar would battle back with consecutive scores as Foster and Schofield each netted their second, but the Quakers would shut out the home team for the final 19 minutes of the game as their offense piled it on. Hartnett scored her third and fourth goals of the game before
Kaylee Carr (Plant City, Fla.) put the finishing touches on the dominant quarter with her first goal of the year as the score was 12-4 as we turned for home.
Wood,
Grace Holmes (Chestertown, Md.), and Horn each tallied goals in the final quarter of play while the Quaker defense locked down the Vixens, holding them to just two shots on goal in the frame to put the finishing touches on a 16-4 win.
Guilford looks to rise above the .500 mark for the first time since 2022 when they visit Ferrum College on Saturday afternoon. First draw is set for 1:00 PM.
