Gardner-Webb University
William and Mary
Tribe Pulls Away In Second Half For 19-3 Win Over Gardner-Webb
February 17, 2016 | Women's Lacrosse
BOILING SPRINGS --- Cassidy McDowell (Cincinnati, Ohio) made a season-high 17 saves and Alex Fusco (Marietta, Ga.) scored a pair of goals to pace Gardner-Webb on Wednesday evening, as William and Mary pulled away with four strikes early in the second half en route to a 19-3 win in non-conference play.
Gardner-Webb (0-3) won the battle on the ground by a 31-28 margin on the night – including a 21-14 advantage in the first half – as William and Mary (1-1) converted 16-of-17 clear attempts and outshot the Runnin' Bulldogs, 36-11, in the contest. The Tribe controlled the balance of possession throughout the night, coming up with 17-of-24 draws while connecting on 4-of-8 free position attempts.
Freshman Emma Rufolo (Woodstock, Md.) continued her strong play in the midfield for Gardner-Webb, registering game-highs of six ground balls and five draw controls, as Fusco scored her team-leading fourth and fifth goals of the season.
McDowell posted her second straight double-digit saves effort – stopping 17 of the 36 shots she faced – while Emma Rose (Weston, Fla.) recorded her first goal of the campaign and Brooke Fernandes (Greensboro, N.C.) scooped up five ground balls.
Eloise Gagnan and Michelle Goss paced the Tribe with three goals each, while Meaghan Brophy added two strikes and Lynda Michaels dished out four assists. Molly Hager and Abby Junior both scooped up four ground balls, as Claire Duchene, Meredith Crizer and Alex Lista combined for six saves.
Gardner-Webb hung with the Tribe for much of the first half, scooping up 21 ground balls to William and Mary's 14 in the opening 30 minutes as McDowell recorded nine of her 17 saves to keep the Runnin' Bulldogs within striking distance.
The Tribe would score the game's first five goals before Gardner-Webb got on the board with a Fusco strike at the 20:09 mark. After William and Mary countered with four straight goals, Gardner-Webb answered with two of the next three tallies to trim the margin to 9-3 heading into the break on strikes from Fusco and Rose.
William and Mary responded with three early goals in the second half, pushing the advantage to 13-3 and holding Gardner-Webb to just three shots in the final period to pull away for the 19-3 victory.
Gardner-Webb returns to the field on Saturday when the Runnin' Bulldogs host first-year program Central Michigan in non-conference play at 12:00 pm in Spangler Stadium.
