The Wofford College women’s lacrosse team punched its ticket to the Big South Tournament semifinals Tuesday evening with a commanding 13-7 win over the sixth-seeded Longwood Lancers at Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, setting up a Friday night matchup in Macon, Georgia, against the No. 2-seeded High Point Panthers.
Wofford’s Olivia Graebner of Yardley, Pennsylvania, delivered a career-best performance, tallying five goals and two assists for seven points in the quarterfinal victory. The redshirt sophomore midfielderhas now surpassed 50 points on the season, becoming only the fifth Terrier in program history to reach that milestone. Katie Brosseau added two goals and three assists, while Carlie Cutinella chipped in with two goals and one assist. The Terriers scored nine goals in the first half to take a commanding 9-5 lead into the break, then held Longwood to just two second-half goals to secure the program’s second consecutive semifinal appearance as the No. 3 seed — the highest seeding in school history.
The win was anchored by a dominant statistical performance across the board. Wofford outshot Longwood 37-16 and collected 30 ground balls to the Lancers’ 24, with junior defender Brooke Meltcher of Wading River, New York, grabbing seven ground balls. Meltcher, who was named the Big South Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-Conference selection on Thursday, set single-season program records this year with 42 caused turnovers and 91 ground balls. Senior Vivian Chiomento led the draw circle with 10 of Wofford’s 15 draw controls; she broke every specialist record in program history this season, including a single-season mark of 161 draw controls and a career total of 308. The Big South also honored Barrett Rowe with an Honorable Mention nod and freshman Sara Fenwick with an All-Freshman Team selection, giving Wofford five postseason-honored players in a single year for the first time in program memory.
The Terriers enter the semifinals with a 9-9 overall record and 6-2 mark in Big South play. Wofford’s semifinal opponent, High Point, earned the No. 2 seed with a 7-1 conference record. The two teams met April 4 at Gibbs Stadium, providing each program with firsthand knowledge of the other heading into the elimination game. The winner advances to the Big South Championship on Sunday, May 3, also at top-seeded Mercer in Macon. The tournament champion receives the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, May 1, and will be available for streaming on the conference broadcast network.
What’s Happening
Q: What was the final score, and who led Wofford offensively?
A: Wofford defeated Longwood 13-7. Olivia Graebner led all scorers with five goals and two assists for a career-high seven points, and Katie Brosseau added two goals and three assists.
Q: Which Wofford players received Big South postseason recognition?
A: Five Terriers were honored: Brooke Meltcher (Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference), Olivia Graebner (First Team All-Conference and All-Academic Team), Vivian Chiomento (Second Team All-Conference), Barrett Rowe (Honorable Mention), and Sara Fenwick (All-Freshman Team).
Q: When and where is the semifinal, and who does Wofford face?
A: Wofford faces No. 2-seeded High Point in Macon, Georgia, on Friday, May 1 at 7 p.m. on the conference broadcast network. The winner advances to the Big South Championship on May 3.
