GREENSBORO, N.C. — A balanced offensive effort and a strong defensive performance helped the West Virginia Wesleyan women’s lacrosse team secure a 5–2 victory over Greensboro on Tuesday afternoon at Pride Field. The Lady Bobcats used a three-goal performance from Nyah Elmer and a pair of goals from Wiktoria Walska while the defense limited Greensboro to just one goal through the first three quarters.
West Virginia Wesleyan (1-2) set the tone early by controlling possession and creating quality chances in the opening minutes. After goalkeeper Ella Gomez made two early saves to keep the Pride off the scoreboard, the Lady Bobcats struck first at the 10:05 mark of the first quarter. Wiktoria Walska finished a feed from Nyah Elmer to give Wesleyan a 1–0 advantage. Greensboro answered less than a minute later when Keira Fenyo found the back of the net to even the contest at 1–1.
The Lady Bobcats regained the lead midway through the opening period during a man-up opportunity. After a Greensboro penalty, Walska capitalized by firing home her second goal of the game with 4:30 remaining in the quarter, putting Wesleyan ahead 2–1.
Wesleyan extended its lead in the second quarter. Following a series of defensive stops and successful clears, Elmer created space in the attacking zone and finished an unassisted goal at the 7:53 mark to push the Lady Bobcat advantage to 3–1 heading into halftime. The Wesleyan defense limited Greensboro to just three shots in the period.
The Lady Bobcats added another goal early in the third quarter to further separate themselves. With 2:20 remaining in the frame, Elmer struck again, this time finishing a pass from Ashlyn LaPlante to give Wesleyan a 4–1 lead.
Greensboro attempted to rally in the fourth quarter, trimming the deficit to 4–2 when Sydney Patton scored with 8:35 remaining. However, Wesleyan quickly regained control of the game and sealed the victory in the final seconds. After another Greensboro penalty created a free-position opportunity, Elmer converted the chance with 18 seconds remaining to complete her hat trick and secure the 5–2 win for the Lady Bobcats.
Elmer led the Lady Bobcat offense with three goals and one assist while also recording six ground balls and four draw controls. Walska added two goals and four ground balls, and LaPlante chipped in an assist. Defensively, Sydney McKinney collected a team-high eight ground balls and helped force several turnovers. In goal, Ella Gomez recorded eight saves to earn the victory.
West Virginia Wesleyan finished with advantages in shots (24–18) and ground balls (41–36), while the Lady Bobcat defense forced 37 Greensboro turnovers in the contest.
The Lady Bobcats have their home opener on Saturday, Mar. 7 against Capital University. The morning game time is set for 10 a.m.
