SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Converse College (4-3, 3-1) lacrosse team used a total collective effort to defeat visiting Emmanuel College (0-4, 0-3) by the final of 18-9 on Tuesday afternoon at Hayden Abney Fulp Field. The Valkyries received three goals from five different players to control the contest from beginning to end.
Mercedes Dempsey came into the game having scored two goals all year, but turned in a hat-trick in the contest's first five minutes. Libby Stevens posted her first score at the 23:25 mark to put the Vals up 4-0, forcing a quick timeout from Emmanuel.
That brief hiatus did nothing for momentum as Converse continued to pad its lead, getting goals from Daija Krygier and Sharlize Burgos, pushing ahead 6-0 midway through the opening half. Emmanuel's Shannon Sapp put the Lions on the board with back-to-back scores followed by an assist to Hanna Hernandez to trim the deficit to 6-3 with just under nine minutes remaining before halftime.
Kat Goldfuss put an end to the Lions run with an unassisted goal at 7:30 point. Emmanuel collected a goal to trim the margin to 7-4, but Stevens posted her second score, while Flore Samsi got in on the scoring action, giving the Valkyries a 9-4 lead heading into the intermission.
Converse opened the second period with three consecutive goals, running its lead to 12-4 with 24:39 to play. After the Lions scored two of the next three goals, Converse bounced right back with three straight points, including Camryn Wales first career goal.
Emmanuel made things interesting down the stretch, cutting the Valkyries lead to 16-9 at the 5:41 mark with a 3-0 run. However, Krygier and Burgos finished the game with a 1-2 punch to give the Purple and Gold an 18-9 win.
Stevens, Dempsey, Burgos, Krygier, and Samsi all contributed three goals each, while Samsi also picked up a team-high five groundballs and four caused turnovers. Ciriaca Petitto also chipped in with four forced turnovers.
Converse will be back in action on Saturday, March 23, traveling to Tigerville, S.C. to take on North Greenville in a Conference Carolinas showdown. That contest is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.