Greenville, S.C. – The Furman women's lacrosse team begins the SoCon portion of its 2021 schedule on Saturday afternoon when it hosts the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at 3 p.m. from Paladin Stadium.
Fans can follow the action on www.furmanpaladins.com via live stats. The game is being streamed via paid subscription on ESPN+. Updates will also be posted on the Furman women's lacrosse Twitter page (@FUWlax).
The Paladins enter their conference opener on a two-game winning streak and winners of five of their last six games. Furman held on for a 15-14 win at Campbell on March 27 and is playing at Paladin Stadium for the first time since a 19-5 victory over Winthrop on March 24.
Meagan Beal and
Hannah Dintino combined for eight goals to lead the Paladins in the win at Campbell, while
Kyra LaMotte,
Sophie Shaw and
Sydney McClure each added two goals apiece.
Hannah Demis led Furman with four assists.
Meghan Deehan registered eight saves to record her fifth win of the season and
Avery McIlwaine tallied five draws.
Kaylee Coleman picked up four ground balls and
Katelyn Sousa caused two turnovers.
McIlwaine was rewarded for her performance on March 30 becoming the fourth straight Paladin to be named SoCon Defensive Player of the Week along with Deehan twice and
Avery Whitehead.
Demis leads Furman this season with 37 points on 11 goals and a team-high 26 assists, while LaMotte contributes 32 points on a team-best 29 goals and three assists. McIlwaine has won a team-leading 25 draws and Whitehead adds eight caused turnovers. In goal, Deehan has a team-high 18 ground balls to go with 60 saves and a .405 save percentage.
Coastal Carolina currently sits at 7-4 overall and is 1-0 in the SoCon. The Chanticleers are coming off a 17-6 loss at UC Davis on March 29. Samantha Courtemanche leads Coastal Carolina this season with 45 points on 27 goals and 18 assists, and is one of three players to have 20 or more goals. Kayla Downey adds 22 goals and Lauren Cremen 21. Emily D'Orsaneo has compiled a team-leading 25 ground balls on the year, while Anya McSorley paces the team with 26 draws and 21 caused turnovers. In goal, Claire Martell has made 86 saves for a 9.97 GAA and .443 save percentage. The Chanticleers are under the direction of sixth-year head coach Kristen Selvage.
The Paladins are facing Coastal Carolina for the third time in program history on Saturday. The Chanticleers lead the all-time series 2-0.
Furman heads to the state of Georgia next weekend, April 9-11, for a pair of matches against Kennesaw State and Mercer.
