BOILING SPRINGS --- Freshman Sadie Bryant (Charlottesville, Va.) set a single-game program record with 11 ground balls and Gardner-Webb established a new team mark with 37 scoop-ups, as the Runnin' Bulldogs fell to Campbell by a score of 20-10 in the Big South Conference opener for both schools on Saturday afternoon at Spangler Stadium.
Campbell (5-5, 1-0 Big South) outscored Gardner-Webb (2-7, 0-1 Big South) by a 12-6 margin in the first half, and held a 36-21 advantage in shots attempted – including a 20-12 gap n the opening period. The Runnin' Bulldogs won the battle on the ground, 37-26, as Campbell controlled 19-of-33 draws and converted 13-of-17 clearing attempts. Gardner-Webb committed 24 turnovers compared to 18 for Campbell.
Alex Fusco (Marietta, Ga.) continued to build upon her own program records, scoring three goals to become the first player in school history to reach the 20-goal mark in a single season. The sophomore attack also added four ground balls and one assist, as Austyn Gorski (Lawrenceville, Ga.) and Amanda Steinmuller (Ellicott, Md.) each tallied two goals.
Bryant chipped in one goal and one assist while controlling five draws, and setting single-game program records for ground balls (11) and caused turnovers (5). Emma Rufolo (Woodstock, Md.) and Abby Hanscom (Eden Prairie, Minn.) each scored once, as Cassidy McDowell (Cincinnati, Ohio) stopped 11 shots and scooped up five ground balls.
Campbell's Loren Day paced the Camels with seven goals to push her Big South-leading total to 41 for the season. Melissa Placek added four strikes while Erica Hitch and Kayla Reilly each tallied a hat trick. Hitch dished out a game-high five assists, as Day and Placek both controlled six draws. Merredith Bechler and Kylie Haarhoff combined to make five saves between the pipes.
Day, Placek and Hitch got the Camels off to a hot start early, as Day tallied three goals in the opening 10 minutes to help Campbell to a 4-1 lead at the 20:09 mark. Fusco and Bryant answered for the Runnin' Bulldogs moments later, as Bryant fed a cutting Fusco with a beautiful pass from the flank to cut the margin to 4-2 with 18:22 left in the first half.
Campbell quickly countered with a five-goal spurt, pushing the advantage to 9-2 on a solo strike from Reilly at the 11:21 mark. Back-to-back tallies from Hanscom and Steinmuller pulled Gardner-Webb within five at 9-4, before Campbell countered with three straight strikes to stretch the advantage to 12-4. Bryant and Gorski each scored in the closing moments of the first half to trim the margin to 12-6 at the break.
After Campbell opened the second half with a pair of strikes, Fusco, Gorski and Steinmuller each found the back of the net for the Runnin' Bulldogs to cut the lead to 14-9 with 22:21 to play on Steinmuller's 10th of the season. Campbell would answer with six straight goals, opening its largest lead of the game on Hitch's third strike of the day with 9:14 left on the clock. A free position strike from Rufolo capped the afternoon's scoring at the 3:42 mark.
Gardner-Webb returns to action on Wednesday when the Runnin' Bulldogs host first-year program and Big South foe Radford at 5:00 pm in Spangler Stadium.
