BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C.— Grace Wiegand scored an NAIA single-game record 14 goals and notched a Montreat College women's lacrosse single-game record 18 points as the Cavaliers flew past the Warren Wilson College Owls at Pulliam Stadium Wednesday night, 24-17. With their second consecutive triumph, the Cavs improved to 2-1 on the year, while WWC's record moved to 1-1.
 
The game began with the Owls taking an early 2-0 lead through a pair of quick strikes on the road. Montreat responded with Wiegand scoring midway through the frame, halving the deficit. The Cavaliers then capitalized on a man-up situation with five minutes to go in the period as Ruthann Stout netted a goal, assisted by Wiegand, to level the score at 2-2.
 
WWC scored again at the 4:04 mark, briefly reclaiming the lead. However, the Cavs quickly knotted the score once more with Wiegand's successful free position shot. Montreat then seized control as Stout scored her second goal of the quarter with an assist from Marley Smith. At the end of 15 minutes, the hosts stood out in front, 4-3.
 
Warren Wilson rattled off three consecutive tallies to restore a two-goal edge, but a pair of Wiegand strikes eliminated Montreat's deficit in a hurry. From there, the Owls and Wiegand alternated goals until the halftime buzzer sounded. Entering the break, WWC held a slim 8-7 advantage on the scoreboard.
 
The Cavaliers opened the third quarter with a strong start, capitalizing on a man-up situation as Smith scored with an assist from Wiegand just 28 seconds in. Despite a brief setback in which Warren Wilson scored twice, Montreat's resilience showed as Ailani Soto answered swiftly. Wiegand added to the Cavs' momentum with a goal at the 8:58 mark, followed by another from Smith less than two minutes later, keeping the hosts in contention during a back-and-forth period.
 
As the quarter progressed, the Cavaliers continued to push forward, with Wiegand tying the game again at 3:57 and 1:57. Smith sealed the deal and gave Montreat the lead for good with a decisive man-up goal in the final 30 seconds, and the home side concluded the third with a 15-14 lead.
 
The final frame heavily favored the Cavs as they scored nine of the period's 12 goals. Montreat opened the quarter with a decisive offensive surge, scoring four times across an 89-second span, ballooning its advantage out to 19-14. Wiegand scored four more times down the stretch, establishing a new NAIA record with 14 goals in a single game. From the 13:36 mark to the 5:09 mark, the Cavaliers delivered nine consecutive tallies to lead 24-14.
 
Despite late efforts by the Owls, who scored a trio of goals to end the contest, the Cavs' edge proved to be far too substantial. When the clock finally showed zeroes, Montreat officially wrapped up its 24-17 triumph.
 
"It was just about confidence," said head coach Kayla Bone. "We had to make sure that everyone had confidence in each other—that we can carry the ball, we can get it to our spots and we can execute. Once we did that, it calmed us down a lot to where we could get the ball on offense and go score."
 
Overall, the hosts finished the night with more shots (43-41), clears (20-12), ground balls (23-16) and free position goals (4-3) than their counterparts. Warren Wilson closed out the game with one more draw control (22-21).
 
Wiegand paced the Cavaliers with an NAIA-record 14 goals and a program-record 18 points thanks to the addition of four assists. Smith contributed significantly with six goals and three assists. Stout added to the scoring effort as well with a hat trick on six shots. In net, Anastasia Rust made 10 saves for her second win of the campaign.
 
"I came out with the goal of breaking the record, and my teammates also knew I had that goal, so we all worked together to make that happen," Wiegand shared.
 
The Montreat College women's lacrosse team will face off next against Brevard College on Friday, Feb. 20. Opening draw control is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Brevard, N.C.