MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Montevallo women's lacrosse will take on its first Gulf South Conference game of the season with a trip to Lander on Saturday, March 9.
 
So Far This Season…
Montevallo holds a 2-5 record heading into the first conference game of the season. The Falcons opened 2024 with a 20-4 loss to No. 15 Embry-Riddle on Feb. 3. Montevallo then grabbed its first win of the season with an 18-11 victory over North Greenville on Feb. 9. Montevallo then fell in a meeting with No. 7 Rollins before heading out on the road for an 18-10 loss to Belmont Abbey. Montevallo then fell to Limestone 17-6 on the road before dropping a meeting with SCAD-Savannah on Feb. 23. Most recently, Montevallo returned to winning ways with a 21-6 victory over Malone on March 5.
 
Montevallo's frontline averages 10.86 goals per game with a .528 shot percentage and an average of 15.29 shots on goal per game. The Falcons' defense allows 15.86 goals per game through seven games with an average of 8.57 caused turnovers per game. Montevallo ranks first in the GSC with a .571 free-position shot percentage and an average of 2.2 free-position goals per game.
 
Montevallo boasts a trio of double-digit scorers with Kiley Shea leading the charge at 18 goals through seven games. Sophomore Mikaela Barbieri and Ellery Shearer are tied for second on the squad with 14 goals apiece. Montevallo's Claire Withington leads the team with eight assists to go along with nine goals for a total of 17 points. Junior transfer Madison Sobolewski leads the Falcons on the defensive end with 11 caused turnovers so far this season while freshman Ashlei Piazza leads the goalkeepers with 30 saves in during the 2024 campaign.
 
Scouting Lander: WATCH | LIVE STATS
Lander comes into the weekend matchup with a 2-3 record on the season after opening the year with a loss to No. 12 Wingate on Feb. 9. The Bearcats then took the first win of the season with a 13-12 overtime win over Newberry on Feb. 14 before adding a 20-3 win over Tusculum on Feb. 17. Lander then fell to Embry-Riddle on Feb. 24 before falling to Limestone, 16-10, in its most recent outing.
 
The Bearcats' offense scores an average of 13.8 goals per game while its defense allows 13.8 goals per game. Lander's offense also tallied 8.40 assists per game for an average of 22.20 points per game through the first five games of the season. The Bearcats' defense forces 11.60 turnovers per game while grabbing 19.40 ground balls per game.
 
The Bearcats' offense is led by a trio of double-digit goal scorers with Emmy Peterson leading the charge with 16 goals and eight assists for a team-leading 24 points. Peterson is followed by 12 goals from Mickey Burnett and 11 goals from Alyssa Suchan. Suchan is also the Bearcats' leader in assists with 10 assists for a total of 21 points. Defensively, Autumn Huskey highlights the back end with 15 caused turnovers and 17 ground balls. In the net, Kara Krusbe leads the team with 29 saves but has allowed a team-high 54 goals in four games played while facing 119 shots.
 
Series History Against Lander:  
Since 2021, the two sides have faced off three times as GSC opponents with Lander holding a 2-1 record over the Falcons. Montevallo walked away from the first meeting with a 15-13 win over the Bearcats back in 2021. In each of the last two seasons, Lander took a 12-11 win in 2022 and, most recently, took an 18-9 win over Montevallo on March 24, 2023.