HIGH POINT, NC – The Winthrop lacrosse team made a strong second-half charge Friday evening but couldn't complete a comeback from six goals down as the Eagles fell 11-9 to the Campbell Camels in the semifinals of the Big South Tournament.
Winthrop finishes the 2017 campaign with a 9-10 record while Campbell improved to 10-7 and will face High Point on Sunday in the conference championship.
Winthrop was able to net the first goal of the game just under five minutes into the contest from the stick of Katie Clark. The Eagles were then held scoreless for more than 15 minutes as the Camels scored five unanswered to take a 5-1 lead with 13:09 left in the half.
Katherine Judge put an end to the Winthrop drought with 10:28 on the clock to pull the Eagles within 5-2. Campbell responded with another run, scoring three straight to take an 8-2 lead with less than three minutes remaining in the half. Winthrop was able to grab a little momentum going into the break as Clark netted her second of the half with 1:08 remaining and the Eagles trailed 8-3 at the half.
The Eagles came out very strong in the second half, scoring three goals in the first 10 minutes of the period to get within two at 8-6 with 20 minutes remaining in the contest. Campbell regained a three-goal lead with 17:22 on the clock.
Winthrop made another charge at the Camels as Ellie Marindin and Clark each tallied a goal to pull the Eagles within one at 9-8 with 9:18 on the clock. With under six minutes left the Camels were able to put the game out of reach as they scored twice in 52 seconds to go up 11-8 with just over five minutes left. Nicole Beatson got Winthrop back within two with 4:11 remaining but the Eagles couldn't manage another tally.
Katie Clark and Katherine Judge led the Eagles with three goals apiece while Ellie Marindin added two and Beatson added one. Judge also led the Eagles with six draw controls and three ground balls. Senior Paige Jenkins had a team-high four caused turnovers. Goalie Chloe Wormsley finished with five saves.
