SALISBURY, N.C. — Maddie Fox's five-goal bombardment was just the tip of the iceberg in the Catawba College women's lacrosse team's 19-9 rout of Shorter on Saturday afternoon at Shuford Stadium.
TEAM STATS
- The Catawba Indians (3-1) launched a season-high 34 shots — 13 in the second quarter alone — while limiting Shorter (0-6) to 15 shots
- Both teams were impressively accurate with each side logging four off-target attempts, factoring into a 30-11 difference in shots on goal including an 18-5 gap in the first half
- The Hawks were bogged down by 25 turnovers, 15 of which were directly caused by the Catawba Indians, while the hosts' 11 marked their fewest against an NCAA opponent since 2023
- Catawba was excellent in transition, successfully clearing 15 of 17 opportunities (.882) and holding Shorter to a 9-for-14 (.643) clip
- While the blue and white commanded the ground ball count 25-8, Shorter finished with a small advantage on the draw at 16-13
- Ashlea Nieland improved to 3-1 with a pair of saves in her fourth career start for Catawba; Alley Jones racked up 11 stops in the visiting net
INDIVIDUAL STATS
- Fox scored on each of her five shots on goal, remaining unblemished efficiency-wise with eight goals on eight shots to start her freshman campaign, while gaining four ground balls and seven draw controls
- Fellow East Patchogue, N.Y., native Abby Shuren also had a five-point performance via two goals and three assists, rising into the top slot in team standings with 11 points
- Erynne McNulty posted a hat trick on three goals off three shots with one assist
- Audrey Adelsberger recorded career-high marks of five ground balls and four caused turnovers to lead the defensive corps
- Layne Macknik, Mary Sorvillo and Sarah Maier each registered two caused turnovers and two ground ball pickups
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
- Shorter struck first as Kaitlyn Dwyer-Peppers found the twine less than a minute after the opening whistle, but Shuren erased the deficit with an unassisted dart minutes later
- The Catawba Indians' lead began to enlarge quickly as McNulty entered the scoresheet with another by Shuren creating a 3-1 gap midway through the first period
- Following a sequence of turnovers, the Hawks had Maggie Wallace squeeze the deficit to one goal inside the two-minute mark
- A turnover in Shorter's defensive end during transition resulted in a Tati Verity breakaway strike to conclude the first quarter at 4-2
Second Quarter
- The visitors continued to stick around when Anderlyn Burford scored three minutes into the frame
- Whether it was the Hawks' limited depth or a sudden spark in the Catawba Indians, the floodgates broke open with eight goals in a 10-minute span and none by the Hawks for the rest of the quarter
- The turning point began when Skylar Mullin scored two goals less than a minute apart; a few possessions later, McNulty and Fox found paydirt exactly a minute apart
- Fox's second goal of the period was 47 seconds after her first, then McNulty came through again; both were man-up strikes
- Emily Better and Verity got in on the party late in the stanza with assists by Lizzie McCann and McNulty, giving the hosts a comfortable 12-3 lead at the half
Third Quarter
- Fox helped the contest reach a double-digit gap in Catawba's first offensive possession of the second half, but Burford scored soon after to halt the timer
- Catawba summoned the East Patchogue Express again for a Fox goal assisted by Shuren, boosting the score to 14-4
- Macknik scored on a power play at the quarter's halfway point, but Shorter's Kayla Roscoe tossed in a dart off the ensuing draw to eliminate Catawba's running clock insurance
- The Catawba Indians' penalty kill eliminated a one-minute man advantage for the Hawks, but SU scored at even strength nonetheless from Dwyer-Peppers inside the last minute
Fourth Quarter
- A green card tabbed to Shorter contributed to Madison Widecki assisting Sorvillo on an early-period goal to keep the clock moving at 16-6
- The Hawks began to build a run with three goals to cut the deficit to seven, but Widecki froze the hot streak with a strike of her own
- Adelsberger intercepted a Hawk pass in SU's half and quickly deposited it between the posts before Fox swung in a final blow with 27 seconds to go, letting time expire on a 19-9 final score
UP NEXT
Catawba is back in action next Saturday, Mar. 7, for the South Atlantic Conference opener at Lincoln Memorial. Opening draw against the Railsplitters is scheduled for 4 p.m.
