Central, SC – Southern Wesleyan took down the Lees-McRae Bobcats in an overtime thriller to claim their first victory of the 2026 season. Ella McCowen scored the golden goal to give the Warriors a 12-11 goal victory over the Bobcats.
The Warriors had 40 shots with 31 being on target in the victory over Lees-McRae. Caelyn Little led the team with 16 shots, 13 of which were on cage. Little went on to have four goals and one assist in the game. Ella McCowen had three goals, and both Taylor Townsend and Hayley Billings scored twice. Alexa Simpson had the final goal of the game for the Warriors. Joining Little in the assist category were Fianna Steves and Billings who each had one assist.
Southern Wesleyan won 12 draw controls during the game with Ella McCowen leading the team with four. Trinity Bowman won three draws and Fianna Steves won two. The Warriors picked up 40 ground balls. Caelyn Little led the Warriors as she picked up nine ground balls. Both Alexa Simpson and Ella McCowen picked up six. McCowen went on to lead the team with four caused turnovers while Steves followed behind her with three.
Ava Lombardi and Amanda Erikson shared time in the cage in the victory over the Bobcats. Lombardi accumulated 54 minutes in the cage while having seven saves. Erikson had five minutes in the cage and one save.
Game Vitals
Final: Southern Wesleyan 12, Lees-McRae 11
Records: Southern Wesleyan (1-6 / CC 1-1) Lees-McRae (3-6 / CC 0-4)
How It Happened
The Bobcats went on the attack quickly as Madi Primeau and Madison Deffenbaugh each put up shots, but each of their attacks ricocheted off the posts. Trinity Bowman looked to put the Warriors on the board, but Bailee Lizza knocked the ball away. Taylor Murell collected a pass from Deffenbaugh and put the ball into the cage to give the Bobcats the early advantage. The Warriors answered a couple minutes later as Taylor Townsend and Caelyn Little scored back-to-back goals to give Southern Wesleyan the lead. The Warriors lead was short lived as a foul by Helen Posey allowed Primeau to score off a free position shot to tie the game up at two.
Lees-McRae picked up from where they left off as Crystal Johnson sent the all into the back of the cage for the Bobcats' fifth goal of the game. The Warriors looked to cut into the Bobcats lead as both Caelyn Little and Taylor Townsend took shots on the cage, but Bailee Lizza would not let the Warriors attacks pay off. Madi Primeau scored once again to extend the Bobcats lead to four. Little pulled down a draw and went all the way to the cage to score. Southern Wesleyan continued to attack as Caelyn Little got the ball into the cage once again. However, the Bobcats scored two more times to lead 9-4 at halftime.
The Warriors would not back down as Ella McCowen sent the ball into the back of the cage early on in the third quarter. As the Warriors cleared the ball down the field, Hayley Billings sent the ball into the back of the cage for her first goal of the afternoon. A foul in the eight meter allowed Alexa Simpson to take a free position shot. Simpson got the ball past the Bobcats defense for her first goal of the season. Lees-McRae countered as Courtney Bednarz took a shot on the cage, but Ava Lombardi was there knock the ball away. Alexa Simpson got the ball over to Hayley Billings who got the ball into the cage. Southern Wesleyan continued to challenge Lees-McRae as Taylor Townsend and Charlotte Barnette each took shots on the cage, however, Bailee Lizza was there to prevent the Warriors from tying the game up. The Warriors would not relent as Caelyn Little scored in the final seconds of the third quarter to tie the game up at nine.
The Bobcats regained the lead a couple minutes into the fourth quarter as Courtney Bednarz scored. Lees-McRae pushed on as Crystal Johnson took another shot on the cage, but once again Ava Lombardi was there to keep the Bobcats from distancing themselves further. Caelyn Little, Maree Hernandez and Alexa Simpson each took shots on the cage, but the Bobcats were there each time to block the attacks. Southern Wesleyan would not relent as Fianna Steves flipped the ball over to Taylor Townsend who drilled it into the back of the cage to tie the game up once again. Once more the Bobcats took the lead, but a foul in the eight meter allowed Ella McCowen to take a free position shot. McCowen's shot found the back of the cage to tie the game up at eleven and force it to go into overtime.
Trinity Bowman won the opening draw of the Warriors first ever overtime period. As the seconds ticked down, Caelyn Little passed the ball over to Ella McCowen. McCowen quickly got the ball into the cage to allow the Warriors to claim the golden goal victory over the Bobcats in a 12-11 final score.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will travel to Rome, GA on March 17 to take on the Shorter Hawks at 5pm. They will then host the Truett McConnell Bears on March 19 at 5pm. The Warriors will hit the road to Wilson, NC on March 21 to take on the Barton Bulldogs.
