BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb lost 17-14 to Furman in the Runnin' Bulldogs first home game since February 25. The loss puts GWU at 5-5 overall on the season and 1-1 in the Big South, while the Paladins moved to 2-0 within the Big South in their inaugural year.
 
Gardner-Webb held an early 3-1 lead from goals by Lauren Deaver, Eilish Gately, and Talen Francis. After this, the Paladins went on to score three unanswered. After tying the game twice in the second quarter, Furman netted a pair of goals in the final two minutes to claim a 7-5 advantage heading into the half.
 
In the third quarter, Gardner-Webb answered each of Furman's scores, not allowing them to get more than three goals away. The period ended with Jada Preston tallying one with ten seconds left.
 
Francis scored less than a minute into the fourth to cut the Paladins' advantage to one. After this, Furman scored on back-to-back woman-up opportunities from Meagan Beal and Sophia Shaw to put them back ahead by three with the score at 13-10. A couple of minutes later, following a Francis' goal, a 3-0 scoring run by the Paladins' put them ahead by five with five left.
 
The 'Dogs were able to put three chances away in the final three minutes but could not pull any closer before the game ended.
 
Gardner-Webb had all 14 goals scored by their starters with 12 of them from the starting attackers. Francis led the team in scoring with five goals, and Deaver tallied three. Gately and Preston finished with two apiece. Midfielders Brittany Sherrod and Jessica Vetter added one each.
 
Sherrod led the team with two assists. Deaver, Gately, Heather Lobas, and Ciarra Ashworth each dished one. For Lobas, this was her first career point.
 
Gardner-Webb had a narrow 17-15 edge in groundballs to end the game and turned it over two fewer times than Furman. Burke and Vetter each finished with three groundballs to lead the team. Francis, Gately, and Mackenzie Gallery had two. Preston, Deaver, Sherrod, Heather Lobas, and Lauren Connor each had one. Of the Paladins' 15 turnovers, 4 were caused by the 'Dogs as Deaver, Gallery, Vetter, and Grace Briggs each contributed one.
 
Furman came away with 22 of the 34 draw controls. For the Runnin' Bulldogs, Maddie Martin ended the game with seven. Francis and Deaver had two at the end of the game with Sherrod adding one.
 
In cage, Burke fell to 5-5 on the season but posted her second-most saves in a game this season (12) while facing 34 shots, the highest mark this year.
 
Next up for the Runnin' Bulldogs is a game in Macon, Ga. against Mercer (2-0) on Wednesday, April 6 at 4:00 p.m.