Emory, VA – Southern Wesleyan took down the Emory & Henry Wasps on Tuesday evening in a 15-10 final score.
The Warriors totaled 31 shots with 27 being on target in the non-conference victory over the Wasps. Ella McCowen led the team with six shots on the target. Alexa Simpson, Hayley Billings, Caelyn Little each had five shots on the cage. Little led the team with four goals. Behind her Taylor Townsend and Alexa Simpson each had hat tricks. Ella McCowen and Fianna Steves scored twice, and Hayley Billings had one goal in the game. Of the ten assists, Little led the team with five. Billings followed with three assists.
Southern Wesleyan won 11 draw controls in the game. Ella McCowen won four draws and Hayley Billings won three. Fianna Steves picked up seven ground balls. Right behind Steves, Caelyn Little had six ground balls. Steves went on to cause three turnovers. Charlotte Barnette led the team with four caused turnovers. Amanda Erikson played all sixty minutes in the cage and accumulated five saves.
Game Vitals
Final: Southern Wesleyan 15, Emory & Henry 10
Records: Southern Wesleyan (4-10) Emory & Henry (4-10)
How It Happened
The Warriors went on the attack quickly in the game as Ella McCowen sent the ball towards the cage, but Madison Weaver was there to save the attack from finding the back of the cage. Emory & Henry countered with several attacks on the cage, but Amanda Erikson and the Warriors defense were there each time to save the attack. A foul in the eight meter allowed Alex Costello to score the first goal of the game for the Wasps off a free position attempt. The Warriors answered as Caelyn Little picked the ball up and drilled it into the cage seconds later to put Southern Wesleyan on the board. Back-to-back goals by Alexa Simpson allowed the Warriors to take a 3-1 goal lead.
Southern Wesleyan continued their attacks in the second quarter as Hayley Billings and Caelyn Little each put up shots, but Madison Weaver kept the Warriors from extending their lead further. With just under nine minutes on the clock, Bethany Beecher collected a pass from Avery McHargue and sent it into the back of the cage to put the Wasps back within one. The Warriors cleared the ball down the field and Hayley Billings passed the ball over to Little. Little sent the ball into the back of the cage to allow Southern Wesleyan to regain their two goal lead. With just under two minutes left in the second quarter, Taylor Townsend scored her first goal of the game. However, goals by Mary Martinez and Alex Costello scored to put Emory & Henry behind the Warriors 5-4 at halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Justyce Jones scored to allow the Wasps to tie the game up. Emory & Henry persisted on their attacks as Jones and Avery McHargue scored to put the Wasps ahead by two. The Warriors would not back down as Hayley Billings once again got the ball over to Caelyn Little. Little flipped the ball into the back of the cage to cut the Wasps lead down to one. Southern Wesleyan would not back down as Alexa Simpson tied the game up with just over four minutes on the clock. Seconds later, a foul in the eight meter allowed Hayley Billings to take a free position shot. Billings drilled the ball into the back of the cage to allow the Warriors to regain the lead. The Wasps attacked again, but Amanda Erikson would not let the Wasps regain the advantage. With just over three minutes on the clock, Caelyn Little passed the ball over to Taylor Townsend. Townsend flipped the ball into the cage to extend the Warriors lead further.
The Warriors picked up from where they left off in the final quarter of the game as Ella McCowen took several shots on the cage. However, Madison Weaver continued to stand strong to prevent the Warriors from furthering their lead any more. A foul in the eight meter allowed Fianna Steves to take a free position shot. Steves' shot found the back of the cage to put the Warriors on top 10-8. The Wasps answered as Mary Martinez scored another goal for Emory & Henry. Steves and Caelyn Little scored back-to-back goals for Southern Wesleyan. Ella Mcowen collected a pass from Little and quickly flipped the ball into the cage to put the Warriors ahead by four. Seconds later, Taylor Townsend was able to score off a pass from Steves. With just over two minutes left in the game, Avery McHargue scored off a free position attack for the Wasps tenth goal of the game. In the final seconds of the game, Alexa Simpson scored to allow the Warriors to take a 15-10 goal victory over the Wasps.
What's Next
Southern Wesleyan will host the North Greenville Trailblazers on April 11 at noon. They will then host the Young Harris Mountain Lions on April 15. The Warriors final regular season game will be on April 18 as they travel to Hartsville, SC to take on the Coker Cobras.
