WISE – The UVA Wise lacrosse team hit an important milestone as they came back from a first half deficit to coast past the University of Charleston 15-11 on Sunday on the Beaty-Richmond Field at Carl Smith Stadium. The victory marked the 100th win in the history of the Highland Cavalier lacrosse program.
It also marked a homecoming for Charleston Head Coach Ryland Luciano, who was an assistant coach at UVA Wise in 2022 and 2023.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Result: UVA Wise 15, Charleston 11
Records: UVA Wise (1-0), Charleston (0-1)
Location: Wise, VA | Beaty-Richmond Field at Carl Smith Stadium
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first quarter opened with
Chloe Huston securing the draw control for the Cavs, but an early turnover led to a ground ball pickup by Hadley Carlson of the Golden Eagles. Despite an initial failed clear by the Golden Eagles,
Noley Hiller capitalized for the Highland Cavaliers with a goal at 14:24. The Golden Eagles responded promptly with a player-up goal by Madison Partridge, assisted by Darby Stolz, at 7:35, leveling the score. Momentum shifted further when Sylvi Jenner scored for the Golden Eagles at 6:47, giving them a 2-1 lead, which they maintained until the end of the quarter.
- Madison Partridge of the Golden Eagles opened the second quarter with a goal at 14:44, assisted by Darby Stolz. The Cavs quickly responded with
Caitlyn Schultz scoring a player-up goal at 14:04, assisted by Huston.
Logen Davis added to the Cavs' tally with a goal at 13:04.
Issie Brown contributed another goal for the Cavs at 11:24, prompting a timeout by the Golden Eagles. Despite an Alyse Weber goal for the Golden Eagles at 4:31, the Cavs maintained momentum with Huston scoring at 3:45.
Kaylea Paterson then capitalized on a player-up situation to score at 2:25, assisted by Davis, to close out a strong second quarter for the Highland Cavaliers, who ended the quarter ahead 6-4.
- The Cavaliers extended their lead in the third quarter, starting with Schultz scoring twice, the first at 12:05 assisted by Huston, and the second at 11:27 with help from Paterson. Huston added another goal at 10:28, assisted by Davis, in a player-up situation. Brown contributed a player-up goal at 5:34, increasing the home team's advantage. Despite a late surge from the Golden Eagles with three goals from Partridge, the Cavs maintained control, concluding the quarter with Schultz's third goal at 0:43, assisted again by Paterson. The quarter ended with the Cavs leading 11-7.
- The fourth quarter saw a flurry of action, with both teams contributing to the scoreboard. Jayden Ballance struck first for the Golden Eagles at 11:34, but the Cavs quickly responded with Davis scoring at 10:37, assisted by Paterson. Davis again found the back of the net at 7:21, this time with help from
Kyncade Butler, extending the Cavs' lead. Brown added another goal for the Cavs at 1:20, but Sylvi Jenner closed the quarter with a goal for the Golden Eagles at 00:28. UVA Wise went on to capture the 15-11 win and the 100th victory.
GETTING WISE
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Caitlyn Schultz led the Cavs with 5 goals off of ten shots.
Issie Brown and
Logen Davis chipped in three goals apiece, with Davis adding in two assists,
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Chloe Huston also scored two goals in addition to dishing out two assists.
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Addie Donalson had 3 saves, while
Katie Michaels came in for the fourth quarter and had four saves.
- UVA Wise out shot Charleston by a 36-22 margin.
- The win marks the 100th win for the program, which started in 2015. The Cavs have now played 176 games as a program. It was also their 55th home victory.
- The Highland Cavaliers love the friendly confines of Carl Smith Stadium and their 55-29 record (65.5 percent) shows it. Their only season with a losing home record was their first one, when they went 0-4. (There were a couple more home games scheduled that season but they were cancelled due to weather.)
- Coach
Meghan Dennehy earned her 100th win at UVA Wise as well, as she is the program's only coach. She had 48 wins at Queens before coming to Wise to start the program.
- The first win came in the program's sixth game, at LMU on April 1, 2015, LMU scored first and then the Cavs rolled off eleven straight goals as they blasted the Railsplitters (who were also in their first year of competition) 15-2. Stephanie Sintetas led UVA Wise with four goals, while Taylor Lawton had four assists. Mel Reilly had eight saves. Only two people who were at that game are still on campus, Coach
Meghan Dennehy and Sports Information Director
Bill Porter, who worked at LMU at the time and thus was the statistician for both games.
- The two biggest home wins were the team's 20th and 27th, which occurred on May 6, 2018 and May 5, 2019. Why are those the biggest? The Cavs won the Mountain East Conference Tournament in both those games.
UP NEXT
UVA Wise will open up South Atlantic Conference play Wednesday afternoon when they host Emory & Henry at 3:00 p,m. on the Beaty-Richmond Field.
