SPARTANBURG, S.C. --- Kelsey Crow scored a game-high six goals, including four straight in a span of 4 1/2 minutes in the first half, as Tusculum College rallied to beat Converse College 23-12 in non-conference Women's lacrosse action Saturday afternoon at Fulp Field.
Brooke Hardy, Cheyenne Bray and Alycea Ohl all had three goals apiece for the Pioneers (3-0), whose 23 goals tied the program record for goals in a game set against Chowan on Feb. 28 of last season. Bray also had three assists for the Pioneers, who trailed 6-4 with nine minutes left in the first half before Crow scored four in a row to give the Pioneers the lead for good.
Chelsea Worrell led the Valkyries (1-2) with five goals while Brittni Jones scored three times for Converse, which was outscored 14-5 in the second half by Tusculum after trailing 9-7 at halftime.
Tusculum led 3-2 with 17:49 left in the first half following a free-position goal from Erin Sims, but Worrell scored three in a row to give Converse a 5-3 lead with 14:24 remaining. Bray cut the Valkyries lead to 5-4 with 11:40 to go, but Elizabeth Gabriele tallied at the nine-minute mark to push Converse back on top 6-4.
Crow then took over for the Pioneers, scoring twice in less than a minute to tie the game at 6-6. A free-position goal from Crow gave the Pioneers a 7-6 led with 3:20 remaining in the half, and she added another goal 32 seconds later for an 8-6 advantage. Jones and Calyn Kelly exchanged goals in the final two minutes of the half as Tusculum led 9-7 at the break.
THe Pioneers came out and scored the first four goals of the second half, from Hardy, Crow, Savannah Elliott and Ohl, to go on top 13-7 with 22:32 to play. Worrell scored once and Aubrie Lauderdale twice in a span of four minutes to pull the Valkyries within 13-10 with 17:36 left, but Claire Stanton found the next on a free-position shot for a 14-10 Pioneer lead.
Worrell scored her fifth and final goal of the day with 11:29 remaining as Converse trailed 14-11, but Tusculum finished the game by scoring nine of the last 10 goals. Hayley Bartlett, Kelly, Hardy, Ohl and Crow had goals in a three-minute span for an 19-11 Pioneer lead before JOnes closed the scoring for the Valkyries with 5:43 remaining. Bray, Elliott, Rachel Del Duca and Ohl all scored during a 2 1/2 minute run to set the final margin in the game.
Del Duca had two assists to go along with her goal, while Elliott and Kelly had two goals each for the Pioneers as a total of 10 different players found the net in the victory for Tusculum.
Defensively, Madison Malone led the Pioneers with seven ground balls, six draw controls and five caused turnovers in the match. Elliott added four ground balls for the Pioneers, while Sims had three ground balls, two draw controls and three caused turnovers. Kelly chipped in with two ground balls, three draw controls and three caused turnovers as the defense caused 16 of the Valkyries' 22 turnovers in the match.
Worrell led Converse with six draw controls, while goalkeeper Sandra Ponce had a team-high five ground balls. Jennifer Barksdale led the Valkyries with three caused turnovers, as the defense forced 11 of the Pioneers' 14 miscues.
Tusculum finished the day with a 46-25 advantage in shots over Converse, along with a 20-17 edge in draw controls. The Pioneers were also 16-for-17 on clears while the Valkyries went 12-for-22 as a team.
Brooke Wagner made seven saves in goal over the first 57 minutes to earn the win for Tusculum, while Kaele Lawless came on in the final three minutes and had one save. Ponce finished the afternoon with 15 stops for Converse.
The Pioneers will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at Virginia-Wise, beginning at 4 p.m.
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