SALISBURY, Md. – The ninth-ranked Salisbury University women's lacrosse team picked up a statement win in the 2024 home opener, shaking off the seventh-ranked Washington & Lee University Generals by a 14-8 final on Sunday afternoon at Sea Gull Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Erin Scannell began the day's scoring not quite three minutes into the contest, hurtling downhill before slinging her first shot past the Generals keeper to place Salisbury ahead, 1-0.
• Washington & Lee piled a pair of goals in response, taking a 2-1 advantage with just under eight minutes remaining in the first quarter.
• After a General was shown yellow, Camryn Pepper connected with Mary Hanzsche, who wrapped around the cage for a man-up dunk to tie the contest. Her finish ignited a 6-0 run for the Sea Gulls spanning over 20 minutes of game time.
• Salisbury tacked on four more in the second quarter while blanking the Generals. Pepper tossed the ball to Leah Vilov who sent a missile into the bottom corner to put the Sea Gulls back in front, 3-2, nearly 90 seconds into the stanza.
• After almost 10 scoreless minutes, Scannell buried a free-position shot to extend the lead to two. Julianna Ott took her defender to the cup and tucked in a top shelf finish with just over a minute to go in the half, and Hanzsche linked with a cutting Vilov in the closing seconds to secure a 6-2 halftime edge.
• Hanzsche kept dealing in the second half, putting Miranda Mears in position for her first goal just 44 seconds in. A Generals goal briefly interrupted the Sea Gull success before Salisbury rattled off four straight across the next six minutes.
• Abby Lantos tossed a pass over the cage to Alexandra Parker, who curled around and fired to start the swing. Salisbury required just 46 seconds to pick up another goal as Scannell streaked across the face of the keeper before picking her angle and pushing the lead to six, 9-3.
• Meredith Price and Caroline Knight each logged unassisted goals, widening the maroon and gold margin to 11-3 with just under 20 minutes left in the contest. Washington & Lee etched one goal back to set the line at 11-4 heading into the final 15.
• The Hanzsche-Vilov connection paid dividends once more, good for the 12th goal of the contest less than three minutes into the final period. W&L replied with two goals, trimming the margin to six around the quarter's midpoint, 12-6.
• Salisbury got key insurance scores from Grace Doyle and Pepper (assisted by Price) in the ensuing minutes. The visitors scored five goals in the final three and a half minutes, but the Sea Gull defense clamped down to secure the 14-11 victory.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Mary Hanzsche led the squad in points, scoring on her lone free-position attempt and dishing three assists.
• Erin Scannell and Leah Vilov each recorded hat tricks in the win. Scannell added two ground balls and two draw controls while forcing one General error.
• Camryn Pepper posted a three-point day, scoring once and sharing two assists while picking up one ground ball and causing one miscue.
• Madeline Davis tied for the team lead with four ground balls while forcing a pair of possession swaps.
• Elizabeth Hesen forced a team-high three turnovers in the win.
• Natalie Held tied her career-high with seven draw controls in the victory, adding three ground balls and a pair of forced mistakes.
• Kaitlyn Hunsinger moved to 3-0 on the season, making three saves across 58:33 in goal. Gabriella Dorsey closed out the final 1:27 of action.

W&L GAME NOTES

• Julia Thomson notched a hat trick, going 2-for-2 on free-position tries in the losing effort.
• Hanna Bishop tallied three points on two goals and an assist while causing two turnovers.
• Walker McKnight and Ginny Taylor posted pairs of goals while combining for two ground balls and two caused turnovers.
• Three Generals finished with three draw controls on the afternoon.
• Caroline Kranich made six saves across 60 minutes in the losing effort.

UP NEXT

• The Sea Gulls travel to face Eastern Shore foe Washington (Md.) next weekend, battling the Shorewomen on Saturday, March 2.
• The contest is slated to begin at 1 p.m. from Kibler Field.

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Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 197 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.