Women's Lacrosse Slash Truett McConnell

Athens, Tenn.- The women's lacrosse team played their final game of the regular season on Saturday. Along with it being the final game of the regular season, it was also Senior Day and the team's final Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) game. Tennessee Wesleyan took on the Truett McConnell University Lady Bears.

The opponents scored the first two goals of the game. Annalise Vigilante got the team on the board by scoring on a free-position shot. After Truett McConnell scored again, Kate Buchannan scored back-to-back goals to put the game in a 3-3 tie. The opponents broke the tie. Olivia Ritter took a pass from Mac Alexander to put the game back in a tie, and Savannah Stull gave the team a 5-4 lead on her free position shot goal.

In the second quarter, the Lady Bulldogs took over. The defense and goalie Rylee Brendlinger did not allow a goal in the second quarter. Alexander made the lead two goals on a free position shot score and Ritter followed with a score to move the lead to 7-4. Olivia Downey used an assist by Alexander to double Truett McConnell's score and a free position shot score by Vigilante made the lead five goals. TWU moved into double digits on the scoreboard with a Ritter goal on a Hannah Housley assist and took an 11-4 lead into the halftime break on a second consecutive Ritter goal.

The scoring streak ended for the Lady Bulldogs in the third quarter as Truett McConnell opened the quarter with a goal. Downey started a second six-goal scoring rally with a goal with 10:53 remaining in the third quarter. Kylie Heinrich joined the scoring, putting a ball in the net off Vigilante's assist. Stull scored again on a free position shot while Buchannan moved the lead to double digits with her goal making the score 15-5. A goal by Ritter (free position shot) and Downey (off a Ritter assist) made the score 17-5 at the end of the third.

In the fourth quarter, Hallie Huffman scored on a free position shot to make the score 18-6. Housley scored the final two goals of the game to help the team defeat the visitors 20-6.

This win gave the team three conference wins, their most conference wins since the 2019 season.

Up next for the Lady Bulldogs is the conference tournament, their first appearance dating back to the 2019 season. The team will enter the tournament as the No. 5 seed and face the No. 4 seed Montreat College on Thursday, April 20 at 3:00 p.m.