WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The combination of Sara Jimenez, Teia Horton, Collette Vladimery and Hope Morrison scored two goals each for Salem, but it was eight goals from Allison Schaper and six off the stick of Rylie Toomey that proved to be the difference as William Peace earned a 19-8 victory in USA South lacrosse action on Saturday, March 7 at Varsity Field.
Salem (1-4, 0-2 USA South) finished with 21 shots in the game, including 17 shots on goal. Horton and Vladimery recorded the team-high in shots (six), while Morrison and Jimenez finished with four each. Senior netminder Hannah Ostlund finished with six saves on the afternoon.
Morrison was also active on defense with seven ground balls, while Cara James and Vladimery gobbled up five each. Vladimery forced the William Peace offense into committing eight turnovers.
William Peace (2-2, 1-1 USA South) was led individually by Schaper and Toomey, who combined for 14 of the 19 goals. Schaper attempted 10 shots in the game, including eight shots on goal, while Toomey took 13 shots (10 shots on goal). The duo accounted for 23 of the Pacers 32 shots in the contest.
Defensively, William Peace forced the Spirits into 17 turnovers, including four each by Amber Griffin and Anne Evans. Alyssa Martinez stopped nine Salem shots in net for the Pacers.
Vladimery opened scoring in the game by giving Salem the early 1-0 lead at the 28:27 mark. William Peace, playing man down the whole game, netted six unanswered goals over the next 7:50, taking advantage of three each by Schaper and Toomey, to open up a 6-1 lead.
Horton drove home a free position goal at the 16:50 mark for the Spirits, trimming the deficit to 6-2, before five goals from William Peace resulted in an 11-2 game at 6:58. Consecutive strikes by Vladimery and Jimenez, which came at the 6:38 and 5:35 mark, breathed new life into the Salem offense as the Pacers lead was sliced to 11-4.
However, William Peace used three goals by Evans in the final 4:55 of the opening half to take a 14-4 lead into the intermission.
The offensive momentum for the Pacers continued in the first 15:24 of the second frame as Schaper and Toomey extended the William Peace lead to 17-4. Morrison notched her first of two second half goals at the 12:48 mark, which was followed by strikes from Horton and Jimenez at 8:30 and 6:24, respectively.
Morrison finished off the second multi-goal performance of her career with six seconds remaining when she flipped a behind-the-back shot past Martinez for the eighth Salem goal of the game.
The Spirits make a quick return to the field on Sunday, March 8, when they host Piedmont for a 1 p.m. game at Varsity Field. For more information on Salem lacrosse check out www.salemspirits.com.
