BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb (1-2) hosts Mercer (4-0) in a Wednesday showdown that features a rematch of last year's First Round in the Big South Tournament.
The Runnin' Bulldogs are coming from off their first Big South win of the year as they defeated Radford 15-11 last Wednesday on Senior Day. GWU used a second-half surge of 12 goals to come back from a halftime deficit and secure the victory.
Jada Preston netted the go-ahead goal off an unassisted chance in the fourth quarter to put Gardner-Webb ahead for good.
The Fightin' Camels remain undefeated in conference play as they sit at 4-0 against league competition. The have defeated Radford, Presbyterian and Wofford each by at least 11 goals and had their closest game come at Furman on April 1 as they prevailed 9-8.
Campbell has five players that average at least two points a game with Rasa Welsh leading them with 50 on the season. They have also had major contributions of that side of the field from Sam Bischoff (42), Ally Heath (33), Joslin Hanbury (30) and Olivia Ohlmann (27).
Preston leads Gardner-Webb in points (28) and assists (18) this year and ranks third in assists per game in the Big South at 1.70 which is also Top-50 in the NCAA.
Bria Foley and
Brittany Sherrod have also been key to the offensive attack from the 'Dogs as they have registered 25 and 20 points through 11 games. Sherrod leads the team with 18 in 2023 including her six-goal performance in the team's first win of the year at Akron. Foley is right behind with 17 this season and stands at 45 on her career so far.
In goal,
Danielle Burke has been a steady presence making 101 saves on the year and is second in league history in career saves. She has posted double-digits in saves in each of the past seven games. Through the first three games of the year in the Big South, she has stopped 45.5% of shots on goal, corralling 35 saves across those contests.
First draw for the game is slated for 3:00 p.m. with the game also being broadcasted live on ESPN+ with Mark Binetti on the call for it.
