Pirates Keep Furman at Bay in 18-12 Victory

Saturday, February 24

Greenville, SC

11 AM

East Carolina University

3-1

Furman

1-3

East Carolina

Furman

February 24, 2024 | Lacrosse

Box Score

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The East Carolina lacrosse team defeated Furman, 18-12, on the road on Saturday afternoon. The Pirates used a program-record 20 draw controls to dictate possession and pull away from the Paladins with a dominant second quarter before holding serve in the second half.

Frances Kimel got the Pirates (3-1) started right from the opening draw. The graduate attack scored a pair of goals in the first 79 seconds of the game to set the tone. She would score again early in the second quarter and assist on two more as the Pirates threw down an 8-1 run in the second quarter to counter Furman (1-3) tying the contest at three.

Notably, Kimel's first goal of the game gave her 100 in her career, making her the third ECU player to hit the milestone.

The Pirates were splendid on the draw in the first half, taking a 12-6 edge into the halftime break led by Ellie Bromley and Kayla Wilkes who combined for 10 themselves – six by Bromley and four by Wilkes. Both players also contributed to the scoring efforts with a pair of goals each.

Before it was finally over, seven Pirates scored goals in the first half of the game as the Paladins were forced into a keeper change with 3:38 remaining in the first half. In cage for ECU, Brynn Knight got the starting nod and did what was needed, making seven saves on 19 shots on goal for Furman.

The Pirates struggled to pull away in the third quarter as the teams began trading goals, yo-yoing the margin between five and seven throughout the period as both sides scored four goals. Erin Gulden and Bromley both completed hat tricks in the third quarter, including a Gulden score with under a minute remaining to push the lead back to six.

Gulden was tremendous in the game, posting a career-best seven points on four goals and three assists. Seven points for Gulden also moved her into a tie for fourth most in a game in ECU history. Kimel went on to finish the game close behind with six points on three goals and three assists.

Furman made a run at it in the fourth quarter, cutting it down to five goals again at times but the Pirates shut the door on any further comeback efforts. The nail in the coffin finally came with Wilkes recording her third goal with 2:39 remaining to push the lead back to six, making the midfielder the fourth Pirate with a hat trick in the game.

For the Paladins, Sophie Shaw and Anna Roser we bright spots, putting up five goals and an assist and three goals and two assists, respectively to pace the home side.

Ultimately, the key to the game became the Pirates' success in the draw circle. The team broke the program record for draw controls in a game with 20 while Bromley herself accounted for nine, tied for sixth most in a game all time.

Up Next
The Pirates return home to host Elon on Wednesday at 5 p.m. in Johnson Stadium. Attendance is free.