LAKE WALES, Fla. - The Royals Lacrosse team battled in a tightly contested match with SUN Conference foe (RV) St. Thomas University on Saturday's Senior Day celebration. The Royals and Bobcats went back and forth for the entirety of Saturday's match but despite the Royals' late push, Warner was unable to find a late equalizer and would fall 13-to-12.
Following an even 1st quarter that saw both teams score 3 goals, Warner was able to find the edge in the 2nd to take an 8-to-6 lead into the halftime break. The Bobcats came out strong in the 3rd quarter scoring 4 goals to take the lead away from Warner entering the 4th. The Royals battled hard in the final quarter of play, winning the period by a score of 4-to-3 and scoring their 12th goal of the game with 3 minutes remaining in regulation.
Morgan Van Auken found herself with an opportunity to tie the game up just after a Warner time out, but just missed the net high. The Royals made a push in the final minute but were unable to get another chance on goal and would fall 13-to-12 in the tightly contested SUN Conference matchup.
Vanessa Lynch lead the way for the Royals on the scoreboard recording a team high of 5 points, 3 goals and 2 assists, on 5 shots. Lynch also recorded 1 ground ball and 1 caused turnover in the Royals final home game of the year. Senior
Makenna Day and freshman
Morgan Van Auken followed closely behind Lynch with 2 goals each.
Bailey Whitehead,
Anaya Lister,
Ella McFadden,
Abigail Petrillo and
E'Mya Miller all contributed a goal each against the Bobcats. Freshman goalie
Sophie Mato had another impressive day in the net for the Royals recording a career high 18 saves against STU and bringing her season total to 118. Mato's 118 saves this season puts her in 6th place overall in the NAIA for most total saves this year. The Seniors had a strong final home game with Day and Lister both recording 2 points, Lister recorded 1 goal and 1 assist while Day scored 2 goals, while on the defensive end of the field
Kaylin Brown recorded 2 ground balls and 1 caused turnover to help slow down the Bobcats offense.
As a team, Warner recorded 30 shots, 18 of which were on goal, for a 40% goal percentage. The Royals also went 9-for-12 on clear attempts while recovering 23 ground balls, caused 8 turnovers, and secured 12 draw controls in Saturday's matchup.
Warner Game Stat Leaders -
Goals: Vanessa Lynch (3)
Assists: Vanessa Lynch (2)
Ground Balls: Ella McFadden (5)
Draw Controls: Ella McFadden &
E'Mya Miller (4)
Up Next:
The Royals will look to bounce back when they wrap up the regular season when they travel to Sarasota to take on
New College of Florida on Thursday the 23rd with a start time of 4:00pm.
#GodBlessGoRoyals | #TogetherAsOne
