WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Looking to maintain the momentum established in the 16-15 overtime victory over Randolph on Saturday, Feb. 22, the Salem lacrosse team will square off against Southern Virginia and Sweet Briar during a three-day stretch this weekend. The Spirits head to Bristol, Va., for a 6 p.m. contest with Southern Virginia and quickly turnaround on Sunday, March 1, to face Sweet Briar at 1 p.m. in Winston-Salem at Varsity Field.
Southern Virginia heads into its first-ever meeting with Salem with a 2-0 record after posting a 17-12 win at Virginia Wesleyan (Feb. 12) and a 17-10 victory against Birmingham-Southern on Feb. 21. Sophomore Chloe Mitchell leads the Knights in goals scored (eight) and is tied for the team lead in total points (10) with Hannah King.
Alissa Johnson is second in the Southern Virginia lineup with seven goals, while King has contributed six. Madilyn Pedroza, who has logged all 120 minutes in net for the Knights, has 11 saves on the season.
Salem is 2-0 in its two previous meetings with Sweet Briar, both resulting in 8-7 victories. The first clash between the two programs came on March 7, 2018, where the Spirits took advantage of a late strike by Collette Vladimery, resulting in the one-point win. Less than a year later, on Feb. 22, 2019, Salem's Cecily Wainschel drove a goal past the Sweet Briar defense to give the Spirits an 8-7 lead they would not relinquish over the final 3:05 of the contest.
Sweet Briar (0-4) has hosted all four games this season, including its most recent outing on Tuesday, Feb. 25, when the Vixens suffered a 16-8 setback to Ferrum. The Vixens have topped double-digit goals in two games this season, against N.C. Wesleyan (15-11) and William Peace (18-12).
Victoria Lawson leads the way for Sweet Briar in total points (18), which came by virtue of 10 goals and eight assists. Kaylah Bailey tops the Vixens in total goals (11), while ranking second in total points (12).
Maddie Schulman (0-2) and Sydney Campbell (0-2) have logged 120 and 111 minutes, respectively, for Sweet Briar over the course of the season. Schulman anchors the defense with 23 saves, while Campbell has stopped 17 shots on goal.
RECAPPING SALEM'S SEASON OPENER VERSUS RANDOLPH: First-year Danielle Allen converted a free position shot with 1:32 remaining in the overtime to give Salem lacrosse a 16-15 win over Randolph on Feb. 22, marking the second win in the program history at Varsity Field.
Allen, who drew a foul from the WildCats' Jenn Weigle, provided Salem with its eighth goal of the second half.
The Spirits were led offensively in the game by sophomore Teia Horton, who finished with five goals on seven shots. Also coming through with multi-goal performances for the Spirits were Collette Vladimery (four), Sara Jimenez (three) and Hope Morrison (two). Hannah Ostlund anchored the Spirit defense with nine saves.
VLADIMERY, JIMENEZ DRAW USA SOUTH HONORS: The Salem lacrosse team received its first-ever USA South Player of the Week honors on Monday, Feb. 24, when the duo of Collette Vladimery (Defensive Player of the Week) and Sara Jimenez (Freshman of the Week) were recognized by the league following the win versus Randolph College.
Vladimery played an integral role in Salem's second home win in program history, tying Cara James for the team-high in ground balls (seven) while manufacturing a team-best six caused turnovers. Trailing 13-11 midway through the second half, Salem head coach Emma Rose turned to Vladimery on defense, who responded with two ground balls and a caused turnover as the Spirits held Randolph scoreless for an 11:28 stretch.
Vladimery in turn sparked the Spirits' offense, which netted four goals during a 9:37 span, as Salem grabbed the two-goal advantage. The fourth of those goals came off the stick of Vladimery herself, who forged Salem into the lead 15-13 at the 7:51 mark. The Havelock, N.C., native capped off her offensive performance with four goals on five shots on goal, marking the 13th multi-goal performance of her Salem career.
Jimenez, making her collegiate debut, capped off the overtime victory with three goals (four shots on goal), two ground balls and two caused turnovers. Jimenez notched two of her three goals in a seven-goal second half for the Spirits. Her first came at the 27:15 mark, when she drew the Spirits to within two, 11-9, with a man-up strike. Just over five minutes later, the Davie, Fla., native drove a shot past Kate Hodgkiss to pull Salem within one goal of the lead, 12-11.
Jimenez was one of five Spirits with at least two ground balls in the game and was an integral part of the Spirits' defense that forced Randolph into committing 20 turnovers. She was one of six Spirits with at least two caused turnovers.
For more information on Salem lacrosse check out www.salemspirits.com.