WISE - - UVa-Wise's successful season continued Wednesday as Meghan Dennehy's club scored eight first half goals en route to a 15-2 win over Lincoln Memorial at Smith Stadium. Kristi Gobbi and Catherine Dina scored each scored a trio in the win to aid their team to a season-series sweep of the Railsplitters.
UVa-Wise (10-2) got on the board less than four minutes into the contest when Hannah Marshall scored off an Emily Henneberry assist.
Lincoln Memorial (6-5) never recovered as Taylor Lawton stretched the lead to 2-0 when she scored a short-handed goal with 19:51 to play in the half. Lawton picked up her second point of the half less than two minutes later when she assisted on a Rachel Cole goal.
Gobbi would score all three of her goals over the final 17:33 of the half to send her team to intermission leading 8-0.
The Railsplitters got on the board with 28:10 to play when Abby Hoskins scored unassisted to cut the deficit to seven.
It would be as close as LMU would get as UVa-Wise would score the next three goals, including two by Dina to take an 11-1 advantage.
Bre'Asia James scored for the guests with 14:04 to play to get the lead back to single digits before McKayla Grasham, Dine, Annie Hanson and Henneberry scored a goal each to provide the winning margin of 15-2.
Lawton led all players with five groundballs while Cole recorded a game-high seven draw controls. UVa-Wise goalie Melanie Reilly notched 14 saves and four groundballs.
Melissa Saganich led LMU with four groundballs and Jenni Schorling picked up three groundballs.
Cole, Henneberry, Dina and Gobbi posted three points each and Jessica Apgar posted three groundballs and two draw controls in the win.
The game wrapped up the home portion of the schedule for UVa-Wise. For the Cavs to return to Smith Stadium they will have to capture the regular season Mountain East Conference title. Dennehy's squad will put its undefeated league record on the line Friday when the team visits Wheeling Jesuit University in a battle of the conference's two undefeated teams.
