Pirates Erase Late Deficit in 14-13 Win at High Point

Wednesday, April 15

High Point, NC

6:30 p.m.

East Carolina University

7-7

High Point

5-9

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
East Carolina	4	3	2	5	14
High Point	4	4	3	2	13

April 15, 2026 | Lacrosse

Box Score

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The East Carolina lacrosse team trailed by as many as three goals in the final quarter of a back-and-forth game with High Point but scored five of the game's final six for a 14-13 win on Wednesday night in Vert Stadium.

The Pirates (7-7, 2-2 American) were led by five points each from Jamie Collender, Sarah Goodison and Katelyn Sclafani. Collender did so with a goal and four assists while Goodison and Sclafani each found the back of the net four times along with single helpers.

The Panthers (5-9, 5-1 Big South) kicked off the game with a pair of goals only to see Collender assist on a pair of goals from Goodison and Kate Matthiessen which set off the game's see-sawing nature. There were a total of three lead changes and five ties in the first half alone, a half which ultimately saw High Point carry a narrow 8-7 margin into the halftime locker room.

Of note in the first half: senior Taylor Padgett scored her first career goal at the beginning of the second quarter.

There but for a Sclafani goal with 26 seconds left in the second, the hosts might have been feeling a bit better about themselves. Instead, that momentum carried over, albeit briefly, and allowed ECU to take a lead on another couple goals from Goodison and Matthiessen.

Brief that spell of momentum was as they game swung wildly forth before coming back to the Pirates. All told it was four goals unanswered for High Point, who was carried by hattricks from Ella McKay and Lily Trout, and a five-point day from Anna Mullikin, jousting themselves into the 12-9 lead which stood as the largest margin either side held in the game.

Rachel Chessock scored on a free position shot with 11:14 left, Slafani scored again with just under 10 minutes, and the ballgame was on. The Panthers got their final goal from Shannon Smith at the 9:01 mark and the scoring was all ECU from there.

Grace Moore scored once and the stage was laid set for Goodison and Collender to bring it home, connecting on each of the final two goals, including the game-winning score with 5:01 remaining.

Fireworks went off sporadically for the remainder of the game and the Pirate defense was asked to stand tall on several occasions. None bigger, of course, than Jaime Behar's game-deciding save with 1:55 remaining. The senior, who made only five stops in the game, put her name in the story of the game with a rejection of Mullikin on a free position shot with under two minutes to play.

Though High Point later corralled the ball, a subsequent shot went off the cage and away where Grace Moore picked it up with under 90 seconds left. ECU could have run it out from there but a turnover game the hosts one last opportunity. All this did was give the Pirates' defense another chance for a shining moment and they delivered, Maeve Kirwan causing a McKay turnover which was scooped up by Emma Magazu.

The clear was good this time and the Pirates closed out their non-conference schedule on an a high.

Up Next
The Pirates head to Tampa, Fla. to take on the South Florida Bulls at noon on Saturday.