BUENA VISTA, Va. – Centre women's lacrosse nearly pulled off a major comeback in Saturday's season opener at South Virginia University, but ultimately fell, 14-13, on a cold and windy day at Knight Field.
 
The Colonels (0-1) found themselves down by eight goals in the second half, scoring six unanswered before the Knights (1-0) escaped with a victory in the closing seconds.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
- Centre put a handful of shots on frame in the early stages, but the Knights scored a pair of goals within a one-minute span to take a 2-0 lead.
- Sloan Reding converted a free position opportunity to put the Colonels on the board nine minutes into the game.
- Midway through the period, McKenna Hulette leveled the score off an assist from Mary Katherine Hardy.
- On the strength of a 6-1 scoring run, SVU carried a 9-5 lead into the halftime break. Reding, Hardy and Bella Tacogue added goals for the Colonels.
- Tacogue doubled her tally early in the second half, but the Knights reeled off four goals in a row for their biggest lead of the game, 14-6.
- Centre responded with a six-goal run of its own, however, beginning with Lily Gahm's first collegiate marker on a breakaway score.
- Hulette added two goals, sandwiched around a tally from Emma Botts, bringing the Colonels within 14-10. Botts' score was the first in her Centre career.
- Lola Duff came up with a save on the other end of the field to maintain the stretch, and Gahm hit the back of the net on a free position attempt to make it 14-11.
- Hulette scored her fourth goal on an assist from Tacogue, and after Hardy corralled the ensuing draw control, Tacogue hit a free position shot to make it a one-goal game with 90 seconds remaining.
- Katy Haering gained possession again for the Colonels, but, despite getting a few shots off, they couldn't deliver a game-tying score before the clock expired.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Hulette led Centre with four goals on just six shots, and Tacogue followed with three goals and an assist.
- Hardy paced the team with three assists and seven ground balls, chipping in four draw controls, two caused turnovers and a goal.
- Centre's defense proved to be much more active in the second half, as it forced 11 SVU turnovers while limiting the Knights to just 6 of 12 on clear attempts. Clare Heaney joined Hardy with two caused turnovers to co-lead the Colonels.
- Duff turned away 16 shots, matching her season high from the 2020 season.
 
UP NEXT
Centre travels to in-state rival Transylvania this upcoming Tuesday, Feb. 23, for a 6:30 p.m. contest.