CLEVELAND, Tenn. | Aubrie Valvo scored six goals - all in the second half - as No. 4 seed Young Harris College upset top seed Lee University 15-13 Wednesday (April 21) afternoon at the Multi-Sport Complex in the semifinals of the Gulf South Conference Women's Lacrosse Tournament.
Young Harris improved to 5-7, while the Flames ended their season at 9-4. YHC will now face No. 2 seed The University of Alabama in Huntsville in Sunday's (April 25) 1 p.m. Central time championship match in Huntsville, Alabama.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:
- It's the first time in five years of the GSC Tournament that a No. 4 seed had beaten a No. 1 seed in the semifinals.
- It will be the fifth consecutive meeting between Young Harris and UAH in the championship match. Young Harris won the previous meetings in 2016, 2017 and 2018 before UAH won the 2019 title. There was no tournament in 2020 due to CoVID-19.
- Lee took a 7-3 lead at the half, but the Mountain Lions came out of halftime on fire as they scored eight of the first nine goals in the second half as YHC took an 11-8 lead with 16:33 left onm the third consecutive goal by Valvo, who scored five during the YHC outburst.
- Young Harris extended its lead to 14-10 after Kinsley Purser scored with 9:30 left.
- Besides Valvo's six goals, Leigh Anne Turner added three strikes, while Sierra Haas scored twice. Anna Luckie, Purser, Ella Hancock, and Taylor Greenberg also found the back of the net once.
- Luckie tied a GSC Tournament record with seven assists. She tied the record held by former Mountain Lion Hayley Bartlett, who had seven in the 2019 semifinals against Shorter University.
- Belle Hardwick also had three assists, while Hancock had one.
- Young Harris held a 15-14 edge in draw controls, while Lee held a 33-31 margin in shots. Each team scooped up 20 ground balls.
- Valvo led YHC with five draw controls, while Hancock had four and Greenberg had three.
- Kelsey Dover scooped up six ground balls, while Hancock corralled four. Maddy Meyers and Valvo had three apiece.
- Hancock and Dover each caused three turnovers.
- Meyers recorded 13 saves between the pipes for the Mountain Lions.
