Murfreesboro, NC – Southern Wesleyan fell to the Chowan Hawks on a rainy Saturday afternoon in a 11-9 final score.
The Warriors totaled 19 shots with 13 being on goal in the loss to the Hawks. Lauryn Esposito led the team with six shots on goal. Marley Kierstead (three shots on goal) and Fianna Steves (two shots on goal) followed right behind her. Esposito went on to score four goals. Kierstead had a hat trick, and both Steves and Taylor Byrd had solo goals. Byrd went on to have two of the five assists.
Southern Wesleyan won 10 draw controls. Taylor Byrd led the team with four and Fianna Steves followed with three. The Warriors caused 16 turnovers during the match with Steves causing four on her own. Lexi Richardson caused three turners. Steves picked up six ground balls to lead the team. She was followed by Richardson, Marley Kierstead, and Lauryn Esposito with five ground balls. Kelsee McKay played the whole game in goal and collected eight saves.
Game Vitals
Final: Chowan 11, Southern Wesleyan 9
Records: Southern Wesleyan (0-8 / CC 0-2) Chowan (4-2 / CC 1-1)
How It Happened
Southern Wesleyan attacked the cage a minute into the first quarter as Lexi Richardson passed the ball over to Fianna Steves who flipped the ball into the net for the first goal of the game. Taylor Byrd won the next draw and sent the ball over to Marley Kierstead, but Kierstead's shot went wide to keep Southern Wesleyan from extending their lead. A goal by Grace Taylor allowed the Hawks to tie the game up with just over twelve minutes left in the quarter. A foul in the eight meter sent Steves to the line for a free position, but Ariel Johnson saved her attack. The Warriors pushed on as Lauryn Esposito passed the ball over to Kierstead. Kierstead fired the ball into the back of the cage to put the Warriors back on top. They continued to press the Hawks defense as Kierstead passed the ball over to Esposito who scored the Warriors third goal of the game. However, back-to-back goals by Gracie Timken and Taylor allowed Chowan to tie the game back up. Timken took another shot on the goal, but Kelsee McKay was able to deter the attack to prevent Chowan from taking the lead. Lauryn Esposito forced Ariel Johnson to turn the ball over in the final seconds of the first quarter and flicked the ball into the back of the cage to put Southern Wesleyan ahead 4-3.
The Hawks fought back as Gracie Timken won the first draw of the second quarter. Sarai Sanders took a shot on the cage, but Kelsee McKay stood strong on the back line to defend the attack. The Warriors challenged back as Lauryn Esposito took a shot on the cage, but Ariel Johnson saved the attack from extending the Warriors lead further. Esposito was not deterred as seconds later she sent the ball back into the cage for her third goal of the game. Gracie Timken took a shot on the goal for the Hawks, but Kelsee McKay saved the attack from paying off once again. Chowan would not back down as a foul in the eight meter allowed Victoria Brown to take a free position shot to score the Hawks fourth goal of the afternoon. Esposito picked up a ground ball seconds later and ran the ball all the way down the field before putting it into the cage to regain the Warriors two goal lead. However, the Hawks would not let the Warriors push too far ahead as Blake Tutman passed the ball up to Victoria Brown who scored to put the Hawks right back within one goal of Southern Wesleyan. Taylor Byrd won the draw and took the ball down toward the cage. She passed the ball up to Marley Kierstead who drove the ball into the back of the cage to extend the Warriors lead to 7-5 with just over six minutes left in the second quarter. The Warriors pushed on as Byrd passed the ball back to Kierstead for her to send the ball into the cage once again to give Southern Wesleyan a three goal advantage over Chowan at halftime.
The Hawks attacked the cage early in the third quarter as Charity Brown and Blake Tutman scored back-to-back goals to put them back within one of the Warriors. Chowan pushed on as Victoria Brown scored to tie the game up 8-8. Grace Taylor took the ball to the cage to give the Hawks their first lead of the game. The Warriors fought back as a foul in the eight meter allowed Taylor Byrd to take a free position shot. Byrd put the ball into the back of the cage to tie the game back up. The tie was short lived as Taylor scored to put the Hawks ahead by one. A last second goal by Brown allowed Chowan to take an 11-9 goal lead at the end of the third quarter.
Due to the inclement weather, the game was called at the beginning of the fourth quarter allowing Chowan to claim an 11-9 goal victory.
What's Next
The Warriors will return to Central, SC as they host the Lees-McRae Bobcats on March 16 at 1pm. They will take a break from Conference Carolinas action on March 20 as they host Fort Lewis. Southern Wesleyan will hit the road to Spartanburg, SC on March 23rd to take on the Converse Valkyires.
