GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Sweet Briar College lacrosse team (0-1, 0-0 ODAC) opened its 2026 season with a hard-fought 14–6 setback at the Greensboro College Pride (1-1, 0-0 USA South) but saw several Vixens turn in promising performances on both ends of the field.
Greensboro struck first in the opening quarter, building a 2–0 lead before Sweet Briar settled in defensively behind sophomore goalkeeper
Geneva Seitz (Havre de Grace, Md.). After several early stops and a saved free-position attempt on first-year
Caitlin Weaver (Wellford, S.C.), the Vixens broke through when first-year
Lyndsay Davis (Mocksville, N.C.) converted an even-strength goal at 7:12 to cut the deficit to 2–1. Greensboro added a free-position tally late in the frame to make it 3–1 after one, despite Seitz making three saves in the quarter and the Vixens earning their first offensive momentum of the afternoon.
The second quarter opened with Greensboro pushing its advantage to 6–1 on a pair of woman-up goals and another even-strength strike, but Sweet Briar responded once again through Weaver. The defender capitalized on a free-position chance at 5:07 to pull the Vixens back within 6–2, part of a period in which Sweet Briar continued to draw fouls and generate eight-meter opportunities. Seitz added three more saves in the frame to send Sweet Briar into halftime trailing 7–2 but still within reach.
Sweet Briar's best stretch came early in the third quarter as the Vixens rattled off three of the next four goals to close the gap. A free-position goal at 13:20 from sophomore
Elise Palazzo (Allentown, Pa.) started the surge, followed by a woman-up free-position finish from Davis at 12:45 to make it 7–4, capping a sequence set up by a Greensboro yellow card and sustained Vixen pressure. After Greensboro briefly answered to push the lead to 8–4, Sweet Briar struck again when another Palazzo goal on a woman-up situation at 8:33 cut the margin to 8–5 and highlighted the Vixens' ability to punish Greensboro penalties. Greensboro, however, responded with two late third-quarter goals to reclaim a 10–5 cushion heading to the fourth.
In the final period, Greensboro extended its lead with back-to-back woman-down goals to move ahead 12–5 before Sweet Briar found one last offensive spark. Weaver netted her second of the day, a woman-up tally at 8:16, trimming the deficit to 12–6 and giving the Vixens their sixth and final goal. Sweet Briar continued to battle in the closing minutes, generating multiple possessions and a free-position attempt down the stretch. Still, Greensboro added two more goals to close out the 14–6 decision.
Statistically, Sweet Briar showed several bright spots in the season opener. Davis led the way with two goals, six draw controls, four ground balls and seven free-position attempts drawn, while Weaver matched her with two goals, three shots on goal, two draw controls and two free-position conversions. Seitz finished with nine saves while facing 34 shots, and the Vixens won 11 of 19 draws and went 3-for-7 on free-position shots, adding 26 ground balls as players like sophomore
Larkin Shire (Caroline County, Va.) first-year
Beiry Bonilla (Manassas, Va.), senior
Liz Carr (Charlottesville, Va.) and first-year
Natalie Calderon-Lemus (Manassas, Va.) contributed across the field
Highlights
- Davis and Weaver both scored their first collegiate goals today.
- Davis also earned more draw control wins than any other player from either team in the game.
What's Next
The Vixens will hold their home opener against Pfeiffer on Feb. 21st.
Visit the online home of Sweet Briar Athletics, vixenathletics.com, to stay up-to-date on all Vixens sports and access live video coverage from the Vixen Sports Network. Click here to sign up for email blasts from Vixen Athletics.
To give to Sweet Briar Athletics, please fill out the form here.
You can also give the Sweet Briar Vixens a like on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Threads and X (formerly Twitter).
