GREENSBORO, N.C. – Maggie Hartnett (Hebron, Maine) netted four goals, including the 100^th of her distinguished career, however, the Guilford College women's lacrosse team suffered a disappointing Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) defeat at the hands of Averett University 12-9 at Appenzeller Field on Wednesday night.

With the loss, the Quakers drop to 5-8 on the season, 2-5 against ODAC opponents and see their clearest path to a postseason berth narrow as they remain 1.0 game behind Virginia Wesleyan University. The win for the Cougars is their second of the season as they improve to 2-10, 2-6 in league play.

Now standing with precisely 100 goals, Hartnett is the 17^th Quaker to reach triple-digits for scores, Eight as a freshman, 32 as a sophomore, 25 in 2023, and now up to a career-high 35 this season.

Zenna Carson (Blacksburg, Va.) finished right at .500 for her save percentage on the night, making a dozen stops against a dozen goals allowed, plus five groundballs, falling to 5-8 in the cage on the season. Kaylee Joblon went the distance for the guests making 15 saves on the night against nine goals permitted to improve to 2-10.

Hartnett's four goals on the night were tied for a game-high, adding four groundballs. Sammy Keene (Greensboro, N.C.) enjoyed her best night as a Quaker, scoring thrice, causing two turnovers, and scooping two groundballs. Emma Garland (Hampstead, N.C.) and Riley Gravley (Greensboro, N.C.) contributed near-identical stat lines with one goal, one assist, a caused turnover, and two draw controls on the night, Garland added four groundballs while Gravley had two. The two-front attack of Faith Bowlin and Gracie Kean gave GC trouble as they both scored four times and assisted on two others. Kean also dominated the draw with seven draw controls with Bowlin also contributing five. Cayden Holdsworth added two goals and two helpers for AU.

The first quarter was chippy and physical, with more yellow cards distributed than goals scored but finally, nearly eight-and-a-half minutes in, the Cougars broke the ice with a Holdsworth goal off a Bowlin helper. Guilford struck back about three minutes later with Hartnett taking a Garland feed and scoring to level the score. 121 seconds after that, Gravley added another goal securing a Quaker advantage at the end of the first, 2-1. While they led on the scoreboard, the first frame still saw several missed opportunities by Guilford, scoring on just one of their four free-position sequences, while out-shooting the Cougars 8-5, including many from close range.

The visitors seized the advantage in the second. Cashman evened things just 42 seconds in, scoring off a Bowlin feed before Bowlin, the Cougars' leading goal-scorer entering the game, took over. She got AU the lead with a free-position score at the 10:27 mark before scoring again after having her first shot saved, but recovering the rebound, and scoring on a second try less than 20 seconds later. Her third straight saw her take a pick and shoot from distance around eight yards away and score, a play Averett ran two more times with Kean, enjoying the same result as they opened a 7-2 advantage. Out of a timeout, Guilford made the necessary adjustments and closed the gap with Hartnett and Keene each scoring unassisted tallies, building momentum entering halftime trailing 7-4.

The Cougars came out of the break with their second tally within a quarter's first 60 seconds in the third, when Holdsworth found paydirt 55 ticks in. Hartnett countered with a free-position score before the Cougars got into double-digits with Holdsworth setting up Kean and Irenia Torre within a 45-second span. Once again, Hartnett responded, netting her fourth of the game and 100^th of her career with 2:40 left in the stanza before Garland netted a man-up score a couple minutes later to make it 10-7. The third once again proved to be a missed chance as GC outshot AU 10-5, but only managed four shots on frame, an issue that plagued them often in the second half.

Keene scored for the Quakers on a man-up chance two-and-a-half minutes into the fourth before Bowlin countered for the Cougars to maintain distance. They then matched the feat, nullifying another Keene scored just before the five-minute mark with a Kean tally before running out the clock from there with the final score 12-9.

Guilford travels to Ashland, Va. next to battle Randolph-Macon College in a make-or-break matchup. First draw is set for 1:00 PM at Day Field.

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