ROCK HILL, S.C. – Winthrop secured their spot in the Big South Tournament, as they improved to 3-3 in conference play with a 17-7 win over Longwood women's lacrosse on Saturday evening at Eagle Field.
 
Savanah Paton led the Eagles with four goals to lead all teams, as six Winthrop players recorded multiple goals on Wednesday. Briana Tedesco notched seven assists to lead all scoerers with seven points, and has racked up 34 total in 2021.
 
The Lancers were led by two goals from both Emma Johnson and Dana Joss, as the senior pair currently rank first and second for Longwood respectively in scoring in 2021. Joss also added an assist, tying her for the team-lead in points with Taylor Blenckstone, who tallied a goal and two assists. Joss and Lauren Cerretani each tallied three draw controls, while Joss led the team with in ground balls with four.
 
However, Lauren Asher's game-high seven draw controls led to a convincing 18-8 advantage in draw controls for the Eagles, who also led in shots 34-20. Alyssa Angelo and Kimora Bailey each added four draw controls of their own, as six players combined for their 18 draw controls of the game.
 
The Eagles came out of the gates hot, scoring the game's first four goals over the first 4:41 to surge to an early 4-0 lead. Tedesco assisted the first three goals for the Eagles, as she was the catalyst of the Winthrop offense all evening.
 
The Lancers answered with a mini run, scoring the next two goals to cut the lead to 4-2. Joss scored her 18^th of the season on a pretty feed from Blenckstone, and Ainsley Rowlison scored for the fifth time this season.
 
The Eagles responded with a game-changing run that blew the game open. Winthrop went on a 7-0 run, opening up an 11-2 lead with 9:11 to play in the first half. Tedesco picked up three more assists during this run, and Joss and Paton exchanged late goals to bring the halftime score to 12-3. Winthrop held commanding edges of 22-10 in shots and 16-5 in shots on goal in the first 30 minutes.
 
The Lancers stabilized in the second half, allowing just five goals while scoring four. Emily Cate Smith and Blenckstone each tallied goals, while Johnson picked up both of her goals in the second half.
 
The Lancers have just one game remaining in their 2021 slate, as they will stay on the road for their season finale against Campbell on Saturday, April 24 at 1 p.m.
 
#GoWood