SALISBURY, NC – Led by a career day from Abby Stoffelen and an 8-0 run over a fifteen minute stretch, the UVA Wise lacrosse team surged ahead and never looked back in the 16-11 South Atlantic Conference win over Catawba Saturday afternoon.

With the win the Highland Cavaliers pretty much lock down the fifth seed in the upcoming SAC Tournament. They are one game ahead of Lincoln Memorial, but with their 14-13 win over the Railsplitters on April 6 they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Score: UVA Wise 16, Catawba 11
Records: UVA Wise (8-7, 5-4 SAC), Catawba (3-12, 2-7 SAC)
Location: Salisbury, N.C. | Shuford Stadium
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Mallory Trimble grabbed the opening draw and drove in for the quick score to give the Cavs the early lead.
- After a Catawba goal, Abby Stoffelen picked up her first goal of the day to reclaim the lead. Catawba would score twice more over the next few minutes to grab the 3-2 lead.
- UVA Wise then rolled off eight unanswered goals to lead by seven with less than five minutes remaining in the half. Trimble got the run started and scored twice as it went along. Noley Hiller had a hat trick during the run and Grace Golatt added in a brace and Alexis Hilstrom chipped in a goal during the 8-0 stretch.
- The Catawba Indians rolled off five unanswered goals of their own to cut the lead to 10-8 with four minutes left in the third quarter.
- Stoffelen then scored a pair of goals 28 seconds apart to extend the lead to four.
- Catawba would score thrice more over the next 15:32 but each time UVA Wise would answer back with two goals and the Cavs went on to capture the 16-11 win.
 
GETTING WISE:
- Stoffelen set several personal career marks in the win, including goals (4), points (5), shots (8), draw controls (4), and ground balls (2).
- Noley Hiller had four goals in a game for the third time this season.
- Trimble and Golatt each notched a hat trick, while Hilstrom and Logen Davis chipped in a goal apiece.
- Hilstrom led the team as she won five draws, while Taryn Moreno picked up eight ground balls.
- As a team, the Cavs outshot Catawba 34-24 and had 19 draws to 11 by the Catawba Indians.
 
UP NEXT
UVA Wise returns home to host Tusculum in the regular season finale Wednesday afternoon. First draw is set for 3 p.m. at Beaty-Richmond Field at Carl Smith Stadium. The team will be promoting Morgan's Message, a mental health initiative, during the game.