CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Gardner-Webb women's lacrosse opens its 2026 season against the Governors of Austin Peay on Saturday, February 7.
The Runnin' Bulldogs, under the leadership of second year head coach Chris Harris, are coming off a 3-14 overall record while finishing 3-5 within the Big South Conference. GWU earned a spot in the conference tournament for the first time since the 2021 season.
Gardner-Webb returns two Big South All-Conference players from last year's team in midfielder Emma Duchscherer and goalkeeper Emma Anderson. The Runnin' Bulldogs will also receive help from defender Abby Consaul.
Duchscherer turned in one of the more prolific offensive seasons in program history after leading the Runnin' Bulldogs with 25 goals and 13 assists for a total of 38 points. The Rosemount, Minnesota native produced five multi-goal performances over the course of the year, including a four-goal game versus Longwood on March 29. Duchscherer also added 25 draw controls, 21 caused turnovers, and 17 groundballs.
Anderson, in her second season with Gardner-Webb, was a staple in net for the Runnin' Bulldogs after finishing the season with more than 900 minutes played and 171 saves. Anderson ranked second in the Big South with 10.06 saves per game as well as third in save percentage at .431. Anderson recorded double-digit saves in nine games over the course of the 2025 season, including a career-high 18 in a narrow loss to Winthrop on April 16.
Consaul was a menace on the defensive side of the ball after setting a new single season program record with 39 caused turnovers which ranked first in the Big South as well as 12th nationally.
As a team, Gardner-Webb averaged 5.8 goals per game while turning in a total of 41 assists. Defensively, the Runnin' Bulldogs picked up 263 ground balls and caused 172 miscues from the opponents while maintaining a .825 clear percentage.
Austin Peay is in its first year of competition for women's lacrosse. The Governors will be no stranger to the Big South with three teams from the conference on the schedule. APU begins the season with Gardner-Webb before traveling to Furman and Presbyterian on February 20th and 22nd, respectively.
Saturday's contest is slated to begin at 11 a.m. while live stats and video will be provided through the Gardner-Webb lacrosse schedule page at www.gwusports.com.
