HIGH POINT, N.C. — Alex Fusco (Marietta, Ga.) scored two goals to become the first player in program history to reach the 50-goal mark, as second-seeded High Point tallied the first eleven goals of the game en route to a 19-2 win over seventh-seeded Gardner-Webb in the quarterfinal round of the Big South Conference Championship on Saturday afternoon.
Win the win, High Point (12-5) advances to the semifinal round next weekend while Gardner-Webb ends its second season with a 4-13 overall record after finishing conference play with a 2-6 mark. The Panthers outshot the Runnin' Bulldogs by a 29-9 margin - including a 10-4 advantage in the second half - while controlling 14-of-23 draws and winning the ground ball battle, 24-9.
Fusco paced the Runnin' Bulldogs with two goals on four shots as Sadie Bryant (Charlottesville, Va.) picked up her sixth assist of the season. Brooke Fernandes (Greensboro, N.C.) posted team-highs of three ground balls and two caused turnovers while Emma Rufolo (Woodstock, Md.) and Destiny Mead (Palm Harbor, Fla.) each controlled three draws. Cassidy McDowell (Cincinnati, Ohio) made six saves.
Brooke Stevens led the way for High Point with three goals and one assist, while Allie Foard, Emily Meier, Samantha Brown, Darla Poulin and Kasey Callaway each added two strikes. Leah Pace, Kristina Renner and Brown all dished out two assists. Christi Del Sesto tallied four ground balls, three draw controls and three caused turnovers. Molly Andrews and Victoria Lomangino combined for six saves between the pipes.
High Point got off to the flying start in the game's opening nine minutes, scoring nine goals in that span to take a 9-0 advantage before a Amanda Mozier strike pushed the margin to 11-0 at the 10:23 mark. Fusco answered back for the Runnin' Bulldogs three minutes later to close the gap to 11-1, before she capped the half's scoring with her 50th career goal at the 1:25 mark to cut the lead to 12-2 at the break. The Panthers would add seven goals in the second half to equal the final margin of 19-2.
Gardner-Webb is expected to return 17 letter-winners from this year's squad, including rising senior Cassandra Flop (Simsbury, Conn.) and rising juniors Fusco, Fernandes, Mead, McDowell, Emma Rose (Weston, Fla.), Michelle Hedrick (Orlando, Fla.), Amanda Steinmuller (Ellicott, Md.), Monique Martin (Tygnsborough, Mass.) and Lindsey Lippert (Syracuse, N.Y.).
