South Florida and James Madison improved to 2-0 in American Athletic Conference play with convincing wins Saturday, while Vanderbilt scored a thrilling road win against Charlotte to pick up its first conference win.
South Florida 23, East Carolina 9
The University of South Florida women's lacrosse team earned its second conference win and eighth overall win this year, defeating East Carolina 23-9.
The Bulls' win marks their fifth in a row, with a combined margin of victory totaling 93-35 over those five wins. They have now scored 11 or more goals in each game this season.
Goalie Paige Pagano earned her eighth victory of the season, totaling five saves in just over 37 minutes of action in net, continuing her five-game streak of holding opponents to under 10 goals each game.
South Florida set a program record for goals in a quarter (10), goals in a half (15), and in a game (23). The Bulls have scored at least 11 goals in every game this season.
Sofia Chepenik led the Bulls with three goals. She now has 33 goals on the season, ranking first in The American and 11th in the NCAA.
Juliana George also had three goals to go with three assists against the Pirates.
Fifteen different Bulls players scored in the win.
James Madison 18, Old Dominion 3
Brenna Mennella and Kaitlyn Carney had hat tricks as 12 James Madison players scored goals in the Dukes' 18-3 win against Old Dominion Saturday afternoon at Sentara Park in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
No. 11 JMU raced to a 6-1 lead after the first period and held an 11-2 halftime lead on their way to a 2-0 start in American Athletic Conference play.
James Madison finished with a 37-12 advantage in shots and a 19-4 edge in draw controls. Attack Maddie Epke had 14 draw controls to go with two goals and an assist.
Vanderbilt 15, Charlotte 14
Jaime Biskup led all scorers with a career-high seven points as Vanderbilt captured its first conference win in a 15-14 decision against Charlotte at Jerry Richardson Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Vanderbilt (5-6, 1-1 American) had seven scorers, five of which scored multiple times. Biskup led the way with four goals and a career-high three assists. Nancy Halleron tallied her fourth hat trick in five games while freshman Bailey Lower scored twice and picked up a career-high five draw controls. Maddie Barkate had a game-high 10 draw controls, her second game this season with 10 wins in the circle. Vandy is now 4-2 on the road, the most road wins since the 2022 season.
Charlotte (5-5, 0-2 American) was led by Isa Torres who posted four goals off four shots to bring her season total to 32 goals on the year. Brooke Alessandrini and Kylie Gioia added four points each off two goals and two assists for the 49ers. In cage, Katie Ling made 10 saves, picked up three ground balls and caused one turnover.