LYNCHBURG, Va. --- Cassidy McDowell (Cincinnati, Ohio) scored two goals and Raygan Hall (Cleveland, Tenn.) made nine saves, as seventh-seeded Gardner-Webb fell to second-seeded Liberty in the quarterfinal round of the Big South Conference Championships on Tuesday afternoon by a score of 21-4.
Gardner-Webb (1-16, 1-6 Big South) caps its inaugural season with high hopes for next spring, after the Runnin' Bulldogs recorded the first win in program history last Friday with a thrilling 13-12 come-from-behind victory over Presbyterian in the regular season finale.
Liberty (8-10, 5-2 Big South) controlled the balance of play for much of the afternoon, winning 20-of-27 draws and limiting Gardner-Webb to 11 shots. The Flames edged the Runnin' Bulldogs, 29-21, in ground balls on the day, while Gardner-Webb's defense held Liberty to a 13-of-28 effort on clear attempts.
McDowell led the way for Gardner-Webb with her 10th and 11th goals of the season, as fellow captain Lindsey Lippert (Syracuse, N.Y.) joined her in double figures with her 10th strike of the campaign. Destiny Mead (Palm Harbor, Fla.) added her seventh, while Alex Fusco (Marietta, Ga.) tallied her team-leading seventh assist of the season.
Monique Martin (Tyngsborough, Mass.) controlled a team-high five draws, as Michelle Hedrick (Orlando, Fla.) caused three turnovers. Martin and Fusco were both credited with two caused turnovers, while Hall, Emma Rose (Weston, Fla.) and Brooke Fernandes (Greensboro, N.C.) each scooped up three ground balls. Hall made nine saves.
Katy Pridemore paced the Flames with five goals and one assist, while Morgan Becker added two goals and five assists. Michaela Rich chipped in three goals, as Sam Struss, Paige Britton, Abigail Britton and Alyssa Kidder each tallied two strikes.
Becker recorded a game-high six draw controls, while Nina Dunay and Colleen Ekert each scooped up five ground balls. Ekert caused four turnovers for the Flames as Juliann Elmer made five saves.
Liberty got off to a strong start in the first half, building an early 8-1 lead in the opening 10 minutes before Lippert answered for the Runnin' Bulldogs at the 13:08 mark, scoring her 10th of the season to trim the margin to 10-2. The Flames would push the margin to 16-2 at halftime, scoring three times in the final seven minutes of the first half.
The Runnin' Bulldogs kept fighting in the second half, holding Liberty to five goals while scoring two of their own – both coming from McDowell at the 20:45 and 11:02 marks, as Liberty converted just 7-of-15 clears in the second half.
Gardner-Webb is expected to return its full roster next season, including rising senior attack Alanna Costigan (Clifton Park, N.Y.). Five Runnin' Bulldogs scored at least 10 goals this spring, including a team-high 18 from Amanda Steinmuller (Ellicott, Md.), as Fusco tallied 12 goals and seven assists in eight games while earning Big South All-Conference Second Team honors. Martin was also named to the Big South All-Conference Second Team after leading the conference in ground balls per game.
