SWANNANOA, N.C. – The Sweet Briar College lacrosse team (0-4, 0-1 ODAC) dropped a 15–2 decision at the Warren Wilson College Owls (2-2) on Saturday afternoon, but showed stretches of resilience on both ends of the field.
After falling behind 8–0 in the opening quarter, as the Owls controlled early draws and possession, sophomore goalkeeper
Geneva Seitz (Havre de Grace, Md.) kept the Vixens within reach with a flurry of saves, turning away eight shots in the first 15 minutes and repeatedly denying Warren Wilson from close range. Sweet Briar's defense settled in late in the frame, forcing turnovers and drawing three Warren Wilson green cards, but the Vixens' clears struggled to consistently break pressure, and the visitors trailed 8–0 after one.
The Vixens opened the second quarter with renewed poise, as first-year
Lyndsay Davis (Mocksville, N.C.) won the draw to give Sweet Briar its first clean possession of the afternoon. After an early free-position attempt by first-year
Hadyn Kuhns (Spotsylvania, Va.) was saved, Seitz continued to answer at the other end, stopping multiple chances before Warren Wilson pushed the lead to 9–0 on a free-position goal at 11:39. Sweet Briar broke through at 8:02 when sophomore attacker
Elise Palazzo (Allentown, Pa.) drove in and finished unassisted, putting the Vixens on the board and capping a clear that finally stretched the Owls' ride. Sweet Briar generated another late look when Davis's shot was saved in the final two minutes, but Warren Wilson carried an 11–1 lead into halftime.
Coming out of the break, Sweet Briar's defense opened the third quarter with physical play, drawing three early fouls but disrupting the Owls' rhythm and forcing a turnover before successfully clearing. Seitz and the back line continued to stand up to pressure, with Kuhns collecting key ground balls to flip the field, and sophomore Kayla Nuhl (Hayward, Calif.) sparking transition after causing a turnover. After Warren Wilson extended its lead to 12–1 with a man-up goal at 5:38, the Vixens responded with their best sequence of the game: Davis secured the ensuing draw, Sweet Briar executed a clean clear, and Nuhl cut into space to bury a feed from Davis at 3:21, trimming the deficit to 12–2. Seitz added another late stop and Sweet Briar carried that momentum into the fourth, despite a free-position tally and an even-strength goal pushing the Owls ahead 15–2.
In the final period, Sweet Briar continued to battle, as
Larkin Shire picked up multiple ground balls to help the Vixens clear under pressure. Nuhl pushed the attack with another drive that produced a shot at the buzzer of the third and an early fourth-quarter possession before being whistled for a turnover, while Seitz turned aside additional attempts to close out her 60-minute effort in goal. Davis generated one more scoring chance with a driving shot at 2:36 that was saved, and Sweet Briar's ride forced a late turnover before time expired on the 15–2 final.
Highlights
- Nuhl's goal is the first of her collegiate career.
- Seitz totaled a career-high 16 saves.
What's Next
The Vixens will host Wilkes on March 4th.
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