Rome, GA – Southern Wesleyan fell on the road to the Shorter Hawks on Saturday afternoon in a 24-9 final score.
The Warriors took 24 shots. Lauryn Esposito had seven shots on goal and Taylor Byrd followed with six. Esposito led the Warriors with six goals. Behind her, Byrd had two goals and Marley Kierstead had one. Byrd went on to have seven assists to tie the school record for assists in a game.
Southern Wesleyan won 14 draws with Taylor Byrd, Marley Kierstead and Lauryn Esposito each winning three. Of the 12 ground balls, Alexa Simpson had three. Kelsee McKay started in goal for the Warriors had had nine saves.
Game Vitals
Final: Shorter 24, Southern Wesleyan 9
Records: Southern Wesleyan (0-4 / CC 0-1) Shorter (1-5)
How It Happened
The Hawks won the first draw of the game and went on to score the first goal off a shot by Cassidy Jones. Southern Wesleyan challenged right back as Taylor Byrd passed the ball over to Lauryn Esposito. Esposito flipped the ball around the defense to score and tie the game up 1-1. Shortly afterwards a second goal by Esposito allowed the Warriors to take the lead. However, the Hawks challenged right back as goals by Olivia Masters and Jones allowed them to take a 4-2 goal lead. Fianna Steves took a shot on the goal, but Sydney Jones saved the attack. Byrd passed the ball back to Esposito seconds later and she scored her third goal of the game. The Warriors continued to challenge the Hawks with shots by Taylor Byrd, but Jones would not let the ball meet the back of the cage. Shorter extended their lead with a goal by Kaitlyn Dwyer-Pepper. With seconds left on the clock, Lauryn Esposito put the ball into the back of the cage for the Warriors' fourth goal of the game.
Shorter continued to attack the cage, but shots by Olivia Masters were saved by Kelsee McKay. The Warriors countered with an attack of their own. Taylor Byrd passed the ball behind the defense to Lauryn Esposito. Esposito sent the ball into the cage to keep the Warriors within three goals of the Hawks. Cassidy Jones and Ansley Tucker each scored for the Hawks. Taylor Byrd took the ball all the way to the cage and scored her first goal of the game. Shorter pushed on with several more goals, but Southern Wesleyan fought back as Marley Kierstead won the draw. Kierstead got the ball over to Byrd who went behind the net and sent the ball back to Kierstead for her to score her first goal of her career. The Hawks went on to lead 17-7 at halftime.
The Warriors won the first draw of the second half. A foul in the eight meter allowed Aleiza Manns to take a free position shot. Manns sent the ball toward the cage, but Sydney Jones saved the attack. Shorter countered with a goal by Kaitlyn Dwyer-Pepper. The Hawks continued to push ahead as they took a 20-7 goal lead off a shot by Cassidy Jones. Taylor Byrd scored again with just under three minutes left on the clock in the third quarter. Back-to-back shots on the goal by Marley Kierstead were blocked or saved by Sydney Jones.
Southern Wesleyan kicked off the final quarter with a goal by Lauryn Esposito. Esposito continued to take more shots on the goal, but neither of her shots found the cage. Goals by Audrey Ubernosky, Ansley Tucker and Kai Schoonmaker allowed the Hawks to extend their lead to 24-9 to win the game.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will return to Childs field on February 26 as they host the University of Charleston Golden Eagles at 6pm. The Warriors will remain at home on March 2 as they host the Tiffin Dragons. They will then travel to Petersburg, VA to take on the Virginia State Trojans.
