Hickory, N.C. – The Lenoir-Rhyne Women's Lacrosse Team (8-8, 8-0) captured its first-ever South Atlantic Conference Regular Season Championship with a 14-5 victory over Coker (4-10, 2-5) Wednesday afternoon at Moretz Stadium.  In addition, the Bears claim the 2018 league title outright.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 14, Coker 5
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (8-8, 8-0 SAC), Coker (4-10, 2-5 SAC)
Location: Moretz Stadium | Hickory, N.C.
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STATS OF THE GAME:
•    Lenoir-Rhyne junior attacker Gabby Sousa (Delran, N.J.) scored eight goals – one off tying the school single-game mark – as the Bears took control with the first five scores after intermission.  LR held a 7-3 edge at halftime.
•    Lenoir-Rhyne junior midfielder Rachel Elmore (White Plains, Md.) added three scores as the Bears held advantages in both shots taken (41-23) and ground balls (24-15).  Senior All-American Ines Flueck (Coppell, Texas) made nine saves to pick up the victory in goal for the Bears as well.
•    The Bears limited the Cobras' Faith Kent (Winter Springs, Fla.) – the league's leading scorer – to just one assist in the contest.  Haley McCusker (Warwick, R.I.) led Coker with three goals while Cassie Williams (Rockledge, Fla.) suffered the loss in goal despite 16 stops.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
•    With two assists, sophomore attacker Cathleen Gaffney (Allentown, Pa.) established a new school single-season record for assists with 30.
•    Sousa has 56 goals on the year – one off tying the school single-season mark – while Elmore ranks second on the squad in scores with 44.

UP NEXT:
Lenoir-Rhyne will be the top seed in the 2018 South Atlantic Conference Women's Lacrosse Championship and will next play in the semifinals on Friday, April 27.  Coker hosts Lincoln Memorial on Saturday in a league match Saturday at 1:00 p.m.