HIGH POINT, NC – Senior Nicole Beatson scored seven goals and the Winthrop defense shut down the Liberty Flames in the second half Friday evening as the Eagles downed Liberty 16-10 to advance to the Big South Lacrosse Championship.

Winthrop improved to 14-5 on the season with the victory and will play the top-seeded High Point Panthers Sunday at 12 p.m. at Vert Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Liberty got on the board quickly only 55 seconds in to the contest.  Winthrop responded with two goals in a span of only 36 seconds to take a 2-1 edge.  The Flames scored four of the next six goals to regain a 5-4 lead. 

With just over 15 minutes left in the half, the Eagles started a string of three straight goals, to grab a two-goal lead.  After the two sides traded the next two goals, Liberty got within one at 8-7 with 5:44 remaining in the half.  That was the last goal the Flames scored for nearly 18 minutes.

The Eagles were able to grab some big momentum heading into the break, scoring three times in the last 3:24 of the half to take an 11-7 lead into halftime.

Winthrop was able to slow the game down to start the second half, capitalizing on its scoring opportunities and shutting down Liberty on the defensive end.  The Eagles built their lead to seven with 17:49 to go in the game as Beatson scored three goals for the Eagles. 

Liberty ended its scoring drought with 17:29 on the clock but the Eagles allowed the Flames to gain no momentum.  Winthrop went up by eight with just over seven minutes remaining and took home the 16-10 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Beatson finished with eight points as she added one assist to her seven goals.  Katherine Judge scored four times and recorded 13 draw controls.  The 13 draw controls tied a Big South single-game record and set a Big South tournament record.

Kristen Shriver recorded a game-high five assists.  Katie Clark and Lauren Morris each scored twice as Morris also added an assist.  Alaina Girani made 17 saves in the victory, setting a Big South tournament record.

Liberty outshot the Eagles 38-32 and won the ground ball battle 19-10.  Winthrop dominated the draw circle 18-9 and converted five of nine free-position attempts.