Tigerville, SC – It has always been said that the best defense is a great offense and that was the game plan as your Crusaders hosted Barton College. The Crusaders held possession of the ball for nearly three-quarters of the game as the team defeated the Bulldogs by a score of 7 – 4. Offensively, the Crusaders dominated by owning their one-on-one match-ups, splitting defensemen, and finishing the ball in tight. Only one of the Crusaders goals came from free position shots, of which North Greenville finished 1for 4 on the day.

The first half started out hot for the Crusaders scoring three goals in the first 10 minutes of the game. Rachel Kellogg (Junior) got the scoring started for the Crusaders off of the only free position shot of the day for the Crusaders at the 29:02 mark. Kellogg scored again six minutes later off of a turnover by the Bulldogs in between the boxes. The key to the Crusaders offensive attack was their ability to split the double team and finish the ball. Four of the Crusaders seven goals came from tremendous individual efforts by the Crusader offense.

After Maegan Easler (Freshman) added a third goal at the 21:38 mark left in the first half the Crusaders and Bulldogs turned the game into somewhat of a track meet. Both teams raced back-and-forth in between the boxes running transition. For nearly 14 minutes the teams continuously switched possession and pushed the ball in the opposite direction. Throughout the 14-minute period the Crusaders did an outstanding job forcing Bulldog turnovers and keeping the ball on their side of midfield. It was not until Jillian Chiesa (Junior) hit two consecutive pipes that broke the transition streak for the Crusaders. Chiesa was then awarded a yellow card, one of three on the day for the Crusaders.

Toward the end of the half, the Crusaders added two more goals taking pushing their lead to four goals. Kellogg scored another fantastic goal splitting her defensemen from the top and then pinning the ball off hip on the goalie. Bridgett Sewell’s (Sophomore) coast-to-coast finish was the goal of the half for the Crusaders. Sewell caused one of the 40 turnovers by the Bulldogs and then took off sprinting past multiple Barton defenders. After briefly losing the ball to a double team she then caused another turnover, split three defensemen, and slammed the ball home to finish the run. The half ended with North Greenville leading 5 – 1.

The second half was a little back-and-forth with both defenses standing tall and stifling the offensive attack. Kellogg scored at the 15:53 mark then Olivia Foltz (Freshman) scored the last goal of the game at the 7:23. Scoring was a premium in the half as the Crusaders shot 16 times in the half scoring only two goals.

Individually, Kellogg scored 4 goals off 10 shots and collected 2 groundballs. Bridgett Sewell finished the game with a sensational goal and four groundballs.

The Crusaders now travel to Catawba College on Wednesday, February 20^th to take on the Indians. That game is set for a 7 pm Draw. Then the Crusaders come home for their second big test of the season as the Spartans from the University of Tampa come to Tigerville for a match on Saturday, February 20^th. That game will be the first of a double header for the lacrosse programs and is set to draw at noon.