FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.  Hosting the Piedmont Lions in a matchup of opponents undefeated in USA South play, the Methodist women's lacrosse team truly dominated Saturday's contest, outscoring the visitors 21-5. The Monarch defense gave up just one goal throughout the entire second half.
 
THE ESSENTIALS 
Final score: Methodist def. Piedmont, 20-2
Records: Methodist 12-2 (8-0 USA South), Piedmont 9-7 (7-1 USA South)
Location: Monarch Stadium; Fayetteville, North Carolina 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• The Lions struck first with a goal two minutes into the match. The Monarchs were unfazed, rattling off five straight scores – two by Tia Marlinghaus, one by Rosa Williams and a pair by Payton Jones.
• Piedmont scored the final goal of the first period and the first goal of the second quarter to pull back within two scores (5-3). The Monarchs went on a 6-1 run to end the second period, taking an 11-4 lead into the half.
• After the Lions scored the first goal of the third quarter, the Monarchs didn't concede another goal for the rest of the contest. Methodist scored the final ten goals of the game, with five of those scores coming from the stick of Kennedy Martin.

FAST FACTS 

• Kennedy Martin scored a career-high eight goals in total, topping her previous single-game best of five as a Monarch. Eight points is also a single-game high during her time at Methodist.
• Tia Marlinghaus stuffed the stat sheet, scoring three goals, dishing out three assists, collecting seven ground balls and recording eight draw controls.
• Ashley Fuentes was credited with a win to improve her goalie record to 12-2, breaking the single-season record for goalie victories. The previous mark of 11 was shared by Andrea DiStefano (2006) and Jem Golombeski (2023).

UP NEXT 
Methodist concludes the regular season on the road at Brevard on Saturday, April 27 at 12 p.m.