Pirates Shake Off Sluggish Start to Drop Gardner-Webb, 17-6

Wednesday, February 14

Greenville, N.C.

4 PM

East Carolina University

2-0

Gardner-Webb

0-2

GardnerWebb

East Carolina

Pirates Shake Off Sluggish Start to Drop Gardner-Webb, 17-6

February 14, 2024 | Lacrosse

Box Score

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina lacrosse team took down the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs 17-6 on Wednesday afternoon in Johnson Stadium. The Pirates used a 16-2 run starting in the second quarter to break the game open and roll on to victory.

The Pirates (2-0) got off to a sluggish start for the second game in a row, trailing 3-1 after a quarter of play. Credit is due to the Runnin' Bulldogs (0-2), playing aggressively and making four saves in the period to Jaime Behar's three.

The game turned in the second quarter as the Pirates took command offensively, firing 13 shots in the period to Gardner-Webb's three, and converting six of them for goals. Two of those goals were the scorer's first career tally and they came on back-to-back scores by Madeleine Saucier and freshman Riley Matthiesen. Saucier's goal was the Pirate's fifth of the game and gave them the lead they would not relinquish.

Notably, the Pirates' first six goals of the game came from six different goal scorers before Kayla Wilkes was finally the first to register a second late in the first half.

The Pirates kept it rolling in the third quarter as the team began to simply dominate. Kayla Wilkes worked her way into her first career hat trick as she scored her third with five minutes left in the period. Wilkes went on to finish the day with five goals and four draw controls after posting five DCs in the season opener. Five goals places Wilkes just one off of the program record (6 by Ellie Bromley and Ally Stanton).

Frances Kimel also began to take charge in the third as she posted a goal and two of her assists on her way to finishing with two goals and four assists. Kimel is now up to 99 goals in her career and third in program history in the category (she already has the record in points and assists).

Garder-Webb's lone goal of the third quarter came woman up with four seconds remaining in the period, taking the teams to the fourth with ECU leading, 11-5.

The Pirates continue the onslaught in the fourth quarter with six goals in the first seven minutes. In that run was an assist by freshman Sarah Goodison, the first point of her young career. The Runnin' Bulldogs finally ended the run with a goal under eight minutes remaining, but it was too little too late as ECU cruised to victory.

In goal, Jaime Behar got the start on the heels of being named American Athletic Conference Goalkeeper of the Week and did what was needed, making seven saves on 13 shots on goal. The Pirates posted a whopping 29 shots on goal as a team while leading in caused turnovers 11-5 and draw controls 15-11. Nine players recorded a point, eight recorded a goal and five recorded multiple goals.

Up Next
The Pirates will travel to Annapolis, Md. to take on No. 19 Navy at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.