Box Score

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The No. 3 seeded Longwood University women's lacrosse team fell, 12-9, against No. 2 Davidson College (12-6) in the semifinal round of the 2014 Big South Championship hosted by High Point University at Vert Stadium in High Point, N.C. The squads battled closely for much of the contest, tying the score on five different occasions before the Wildcats scored four goals late in the second half to pull away. Junior Kacey Norwood/Chantilly paced Longwood with three goals and one assist for four total points, while five other Lancers added to the offensive effort with two points apiece. Erin Doherty tallied a game-high five points to help lead Davidson to the victory. DC will advance to the championship game to square off against No. 1 High Point for the second consecutive year. Longwood finishes its 2014 campaign with a 9-10 overall record.
 
"That was a tough way to end the season, but the players fought hard until the last whistle," said head coach Elaine Jones. "The hustle and heart they displayed was evident throughout the whole game and they never gave up. Although the final score wasn't what we wanted, there are certainly a lot of positives to take from the game and from the season. Everyone learned and grew so much, and has a great foundation for the future. While it stings right now, I'm very proud of the effort of every single player and it's been a pleasure coaching them this year."
 
Of the five Lancers who notched two points in the outing, sophomore Katie McHugh/Burke and senior Mary Barondess/Centreville logged two goals each. Sophomore Sarah Butler/Oakleigh South, Victoria, Australia and junior Sarah Arndt/Pasadena, Md. registered one goal and one assist apiece, while senior Lauren Prasnicki/Lexington tallied a pair of assists. Junior goalkeeper Christian Acker/Moorestown, N.J. totaled five saves in the decision.
 
After five minutes of back-and-forth action to open the game, Longwood got on the board with an unassisted goal by Butler to take an early 1-0 edge. Davidson was quick to answer with a score of its own less than a minute later before adding two more to pull ahead, 3-1, with 22:41 remaining in the first half. The Lancers would not stay down for long, however, as Prasnicki dished a pass to Norwood, who fired hard past the opposing keeper to spark a three-goal run, giving Longwood the upper hand at 4-3. Arndt and McHugh also found the back of the net for the Lancers during the three-minute span. Davidson knotted the score at 4-4 before retaking the lead just two minutes later. Cutting towards the goal, McHugh snagged a pass from Arndt and fired on target to create another stalemate, but the Wildcats converted on a man-up opportunity to take a 6-5 lead into the break.
 
Coming out of halftime, Davidson extended its margin to two less than two minutes into play, but following a long Lancer possession, Barondess took advantage of a free position attempt to cut the difference back to one. An interception led to another Wildcats' goal, making the score 8-6 in favor of the higher seed. During the Lancers' next trip down the field, the Davidson keeper saved the initial shot and carried the ball all the way out to the top of the defensive zone where Norwood forced a turnover before scooping up the ground ball and firing towards the empty net to make the score 8-7. Barondess followed with a goal of her own, assisted by Butler, to erase the difference, but Davidson answered with four-straight scores over the next 10 minutes, including two from Doherty, to pull away, 12-8. Norwood ended the drought for Longwood at 5:44, cutting towards the goal unassisted for what would be the team's final point of the night. Davidson secured a pair of turnovers in the waning minutes before running out the clock to earn the 12-9 decision.  
 
Friday's contest marked the 18th meeting between Longwood and Davidson in the sport of women's Lacrosse. With the win, the Wildcats now hold a 10-8 advantage in the all-time series.