NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Piedmont 12, Pfeiffer 10
Records: Piedmont, 9-5; Pfeiffer, 4-5

DEMOREST, Ga. - The Piedmont women's lacrosse team outlasted Pfeiffer for the third time this season with a 12-10 victory Sunday afternoon in the USA South Tournament First Round.

The win pushes the Lady Lions to their first USA South Tournament Final since the 2018 season. Piedmont is scheduled to host No. 1 seed Meredith from the East Division. Game time is to be determined for next weekend.

Senior MACEY HIGGINS paced the Lady Lions on Sunday, finding the back of the net five times to tie her career and season high. EMMA FRANSEN reached the 60-goal mark for the campaign with another hat trick, scoring three goals while dishing out one assist.

On the defensive end, sophomore CARA CRUMP tied for the team lead with six ground balls while goalie KELLIANNE SCHLOSSER also collected six ground balls to go with 10 saves.

The game was back-and-forth in the early going as neither team was able to pull ahead by more than one goal in the first half. Pfeiffer got on the board first just over two minutes in before Fransen and Higgins answered back within a minute to put the Lady Lions back in front. The Falcons led at 3-2 and 4-3 later in the first half before Piedmont ended the period with two straight goals to take a 6-5 edge into the break.

Higgins earned her hat trick early in the second half, scoring her third of the contest to give Piedmont its first multiple goal lead at 7-5 with 27:48 left to play. However, Pfeiffer once again responded with a pair of goals to knot the score up at seven apiece.

With the momentum squarely on the side of the Falcons, the Lady Lions rebounded by scoring three consecutive goals capped off by the first and only goal of the game from sophomore REBECCA SLADE to give Piedmont a game-high 10-7 lead.

From there, the closest Pfeiffer was able to come was a deficit of two as Piedmont ran out the clock and held off the Falcons rally in the final minutes thanks to excellent defensive play.

With the win following a perfect conference regular season, Piedmont has officially run the table against USA South West Division opponents with a 7-0 mark this season. The win also marks the team's eighth consecutive victory overall.

For the game, the Lady Lions held a 41-27 shot advantage including a 26-20 edge in shots on goal. Piedmont also dominated on draw controls, winning 17 compared to just six for Pfeiffer.

TURNING POINT:
- After Pfeiffer scored back-to-back goals to even the tally at 7-7 early in the second half, Piedmont called a timeout before reeling off three consecutive goals to take control of the game with a 10-7 advantage midway through the period.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- For the second time this season, MACEY HIGGINS reached the five-goal mark, which also equals the senior's career best.
- Emma Frasen delivered yet another hat trick, scoring three times to go with an assist.
- CARA CRUMP tied for the team lead with six ground balls and two caused turnovers.
- Goalie KELLIANNE SCHLOSSER produced a .500 save percentage, making 10 saves against 20 Pfeiffer shots on goal.

UP NEXT:
- The Lady Lions will play host to Meredith for the USA South Tournament Final this coming weekend. The game is scheduled for Saturday, May 1. All schedule changes and adjustments will be posted on PiedmontLions.com

HOW TO FOLLOW:
- To stay up to date on all information regarding Piedmont College Athletics, be sure to visit PiedmontLions.com and connect with the Green and Gold on social media. Follow the Lions on Twitter: @PiedmontLions, Instagram: @PiedmontLions, and Facebook. To follow each Piedmont athletic program on social media, use the Social Media Directory at PiedmontLions.com or click here.