ROCK HILL, SC – The Winthrop lacrosse team looks to extend its unbeaten conference record this weekend with contests against Campbell and Coastal Carolina.
The Eagles will head to Buies Creek, NC on Friday for a 3 p.m. contest against the Camels before hosting the Chanticleers on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Eagle Field.
Sporting the nation's second-ranked scoring offense, the Eagles enter the weekend with a 10-2 overall record and a 2-0 conference mark.
Winthrop is coming off a 21-4 victory on Monday where Winthrop shut out the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs in the first half for the first time in program history. The victory Monday set a new program record for victories as the previous high was nine set in the program's inaugural season of 2013.
Winthrop is averaging just shy of 16 goals per contest and allowing just over eight goals per game. The Eagles are outscoring opponents by 7.83 goals per game which leads the Big South and is third in the country.
Senior Jenna Kasmarik continues to lead the NCAA in goals with 50 and goals per game at 4.55. Her five points-per-game average ranks her fourth in Division I.
Freshman Katherine Judge is ranked third in the country in ground balls, averaging 3.45 per game. Freshman goalie Alaina Girani has a 7.73 goals against average which leads the Big South and is 12th in the country. Junior Shannon Gallagher is ninth in the NCAA, averaging two caused turnovers per contest.
Campbell enters Friday's contest winless in the Big South and 3-9 overall. The Camels have lost three straight and are coming off a 10-6 loss at Longwood on Monday.
The Camels are led offensively by junior Loren Day who's 41 goals ranks her second in the Big South and eighth in the NCAA. She is also second on the team in assists with 13. Day is also strong on the draw with her conference-leading 4.83 draws per game average.
In goal for Campbell is sophomore Merredith Bechler who has played every minute for the Camels. She has given up just shy of 14 goals per game this season and has a .384 save percentage.
The Eagles have defeated Campbell in both of the program's years, 15-10 in 2013 and 17-9 last season.
Coastal Carolina enters the weekend with the only other winning record amongst Big South schools. The Chanticleers are 6-4 overall and 1-1 in the conference. Coastal fell at Liberty Monday 18-8 which snapped a five-game winning streak.
The Chanticleers average just shy of 12 goals per game this season and are led by senior Jen Cosgrove's 19 goals. She is also tied for the team lead in assists with seven. Junior Keri White also has seven assists and has scored 16 goals this year.
Sophomore Jenna Stover is the primary goalie for the Chanticleers, having recorded all 10 decisions this year. Stover has allowed just over nine goals per game this season and has a .430 save percentage.
Winthrop is 3-0 all-time against Coastal Carolina having defeated the Chanticleers twice last season. The Eagles downed Coastal 16-10 in the regular season and 14-8 in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
The Eagles will return to the field for another Friday, Sunday pair of games next weekend. Winthrop will travel to Longwood on Friday, April 17 before hosting Liberty on Sunday, April 19 at 1 p.m. for Senior Day.
