Brevard Women’s Lacrosse Improves to 3-0 With Gritty 6-4 Win Over Randolph

Brevard Women’s Lacrosse Improves to 3-0 With Gritty 6-4 Win Over Randolph

Joseph Marvin: Assistant Sports Information Director

LYNCHBURG, Va. - The Brevard College Tornados Women's Lacrosse Team (3-0) continued its program-best start to the 2019 campaign with a well-deserved 6-4 victory in non-conference play against Randolph College (0-1) on Saturday afternoon in Lynchburg, Va. 

For the second-straight contest, junior attacker Micaiah Vacchiano led the Tornados in scoring. Vacchiano found the back of the net three times on Saturday afternoon, which vaulted her to the top spot on BC's 2019 scoring list with 11 goals. Vacchiano's 11 goals currently rank second in the USA South.

Senior attacker Hunter Denney contributed two goals and an assist, while freshman Hannah Scharf added a goal. Denney led the Tornados with four ground balls, while Scharf, Morgan Graham, and Katherine Collins secured three ground balls each. 

Collins (3-0) enjoyed her finest outing as a collegiate goalkeeper. She recorded 10 saves on 14 shots-on-goal, which sets her career-high. 

Randolph's Nicole Dorton was the WildCats' lone multi-goal scorer, as she knocked in two goals on four shots. Randolph goalkeeper Chrissy Shackleford (0-1) tallied a game-high 12 saves on 18 shots faced on-goal.

Both sides battled tightly throughout the contest, with neither side gaining a foothold on the other. Brevard slightly outshot Randolph 24-23, including an 18-14 shots-on-goal advantage. 

Brevard's strongest advantage was on draw controls, where the Tornados won nine to the WildCats' three. The difference in the contest was on free position shots, where BC went 4-of-6. Randolph failed to score on a free position, going 0-of-3 on the afternoon.

BC wasted no time getting on the board, as Scharf connected just 51 seconds after the opening draw to give Brevard an early 1-0 lead. 

The contest went through a nine-plus minute scoring drought before Randolph's Dorton tied the score at 1-1, sending a Hannah Bradly pass into the back of the net at the 19:50 mark in the first half. 

With the Tornados up a player, Vacchiano converted BC's first free position shot of the afternoon to give the Tornados a 2-1 lead. Brevard would extend its lead before the half, as Denney drilled a free position attempt to push the score to 3-1 at the break.  

Randolph opened the second half with a goal with 26:18 left as Bradly connected to cut Brevard's lead to 3-2. The Tornados answered back quickly, as Denney connected a pass to Vacchiano, who fired her second goal of the afternoon to give the Tornados a 4-2 lead with 25:44 left in the second half. 

Another lengthy scoring drought ensued, this one lasting 10-plus minutes. Randolph took advantage of being a player up, scoring to cut Brevard's lead to 4-3 with 15:12 left to play. Just 48 seconds later, the WildCats tied the contest at 4-4 when Dorton tallied her second goal of the match. 

The Tornados used back-to-back goals plus 10 minutes of shutout defense to secure a 6-4 victory on the road. 

Denney and Vacchiano both scored player-up goals within a minute of each other to give Brevard a 6-4 lead. Collins plus the defensive back line of Nichole O'Connor, Diana Loaiza, and Tabor Ryan shut out Randolph for the final 10:08 of play to secure the Tornados' third victory of 2019. 

Brevard will look to extend its record-breaking start when it travels to Waleska, Ga. for a mid-week non-conference tilt against Reinhardt University (2-0) on Wednesday, February 27 at 5 p.m. The contest will mark BC's third game against an NAIA Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) squad, with Brevard already claiming victories against Brenau University (14-5, Feb. 9) and Montreat College (18-1, Feb 19) earlier in the season. 

To follow along with all the latest news and updates surrounding Brevard College Athletics, please follow the Tornados on Twitter and Instagram @bctornados, subscribe to 'Brevard College Tornados'' on YouTube, follow 'Brevard College Tornados' on SoundCloud, or like Brevard College Athletics on Facebook.

 

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