Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan fell in a close hard-fought battle against the Tiffin Dragons in a 14-12 final score.
The Warriors out-shot the Dragons 43 to 33 in the loss on Saturday afternoon. Taylor Byrd picked up 10 shots with seven being on goal. She was followed by Marley Kierstead with five shots on goal and both Lexi Richardson and Lauryn Esposito with four shots on goal. Kierstead scored five goals with Byrd following with three. Fianna Steves, Esposito, Mack Moreau and Aleiza Manns each had solo goals. Byrd had three assists. Richardson, Kierstead and Esposito each had assists.
Southern Wesleyan won 14 draw controls with Fianna Steves having six. Aleiza Manns won four draws and Lauryn Esposito had two. Nyah Garner had seven ground balls and Lexi Richardson had six. Steves caused four of the 15 turnovers. Kelsee McKay played all sixty minutes in goal and had ten saves.
Game Vitals
Final: Tiffin 14, Southern Wesleyan 12
Records: Southern Wesleyan (0-6) Tiffin (2-2)
How It Happened
Southern Wesleyan challenged the Dragons early on as Lexi Richardson took back-to-back shots on the goal, but Jenay Rennie saved the attacks from paying off. Tiffin fought back as Lillian Graham scored the first goal of the game. The Warriors quickly countered as Fianna Steves won the next draw control. Steves got the ball down to Taylor Byrd who then passed the ball inside the eight meter to Lauryn Esposito who sent the ball into the cage to tie the game up 1-1. The Warriors kept the Dragons from pushing ahead for three minutes before Katelyn Jarvis scored Tiffin's second goal of the afternoon. They extended their lead to two on a man-down goal by Brenna Bohan. However, shortly afterwards, Marley Kierstead scored her first goal of the day to put the Warriors back within one. Tiffin regained a two goal advantage with just under two minutes left in the quarter, but Lauryn Esposito got the ball over to Kierstead who scored once again to put the Warriors back within one. A buzzer beater goal by Jarvis allowed Tiffin to extend their lead to 5-3.
Tiffin continued to press as Cassidy Kumiega took a shot on the goal, but it went wide to keep them off the board. The Warriors challenged right back as Taylor Byrd passed the ball over to Marley Kierstead. Kierstead then flipped the ball into the back of the cage to put the Warriors back within one. Southern Wesleyan would not relent their attacks as Taylor Byrd and Lauryn Esposito each took shots on the goal, but Jenay Rennie saved each attack from finding the cage. The Dragons took a 7-4 goal lead after back-to-back goals by Cassidy Kumiega and Brenna Bohan. The game remained scoreless with each team preventing the others' attacks until Aleiza Manns collected the ball and put it into the cage. The Warriors pushed on as Fianna Steves and Taylor Byrd each followed with goals of their own to tie the game up 7-7 at the half.
The Dragons struck first in the third quarter as Lillian Graham took a pass from Katelyn Jarvis to give Tiffin the lead once again. They pushed on with just under twelve minutes on the clock as Cassidy Kumiega scored another goal. Southern Wesleyan challenged back as Taylor Byrd and Fianna Steves sent the ball toward the cage, but once again Jenay Rennie would not let the Warriors' attacks prevail. Marley Kierstead drove the ball to the cage to score once again for Southern Wesleyan. The Warriors continued to challenge the Dragons as goals by Kierstead and Taylor Byrd put them back within two of Tiffin at the end of the third quarter.
After a green card by Emily Burchette early in the final quarter, Katelyn Jarvis took the ball to the cage to give the Dragons a 13-10 goal advantage. A foul in the eight meter allowed Lexi Richardson to take a free position shot, but Rennie stayed strong in the cage to keep the Warriors from cutting into the Dragons' four goal lead. With just under six minutes left on the clock, another foul allowed Taylor Byrd to take a free position. Byrd got the ball past Rennie to score the Warriors' eleventh goal of the afternoon. Shortly afterwards, Lexi Richardson passed the ball over to Mack Moreau who sent it into the cage. However, the Warriors fell to the Dragons in a 14-12 final score.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will travel to Petersburg, VA on March 4 to take on the Virginia State Trojans. They will remain on the road on March 9 as they resume Conference Carolinas action in Murfreesboro, NC and take on the Chowan Hawks.
