SALISBURY, N.C. — The Catawba College women's lacrosse team burst onto the scene with a 14-3 victory in its season opener against Ferrum at Shuford Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
TEAM STATS
- Catawba (1-0) dispatched its 14-goal barrage by holding a sizable advantage in the shot count, outdoing Ferrum (0-1) 32-14 with a 20-11 difference in on-goal attempts
- Both offenses converted one free-position shot, but the Catawba Indians were much more efficient with a 1-for-2 clip while Ferrum tallied six deliveries
- On the draw, Catawba was in full control with a 17-1 rout at midfield that began as a 12-0 record in the opening half
- Turnover values were elevated – largely stemming from it being both teams' season opener – with Catawba losing the battle 26-23; three of the hosts' were shot clock violations
- The Panthers had the edge in ground balls by a slight 22-20 margin, although the count was even at 11-all in the second stanza
- In her first career game, Ashlea Nieland rose to the occasion with eight stops on 11 shots faced to secure the win; Ashley Font started in the opposite net, registering six saves for a .300 day
INDIVIDUAL STATS
- Mary Sorvillo led the scoring with her 10th career hat trick in a three-goal day — scoring on each of her shots on goal
- Abby Shuren collected three points on two goals and an assist, while Erynne McNulty also notched three tallies on her first career goal and two assists
- Sarah Maier and Madison Widecki, making her collegiate debut, rounded out the Catawba Indians' multi-time scorers with two blasts apiece
- Sophomore transfer Ava Stanza impressed in her first contest in blue and white, dishing out an assist with a team-high five ground balls
- The defensive effort was powered by Meredith Marchetti and rookie Lizzie McCann, who each recorded two caused turnovers and two ground ball pickups
- Skylar Mullin dominated the draw, becoming the ninth player in program history to bag nine draw controls while falling one grab shy of tying the record
POSTGAME COMMENTS
UP NEXT
Catawba is back at Shuford Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 14, to face Southern Wesleyan at 1 p.m.
