Franklin Springs, Ga - The Lady Lions (2-5, 1-4 CC) snagged another home win after battling the North Greenville Crusaders (0-4) for a historic first-ever conference win.

The Crusaders came prepared with a fast goal in the first 20 seconds of the match, scoring off the first draw. Freshman Lara Russell (Buford, GA) stepped up to the challenge, firing off a quick feed to Junior Savannah Gratz (Ball Ground, GA) for a left-handed crease roll only 44 seconds later. A few minutes later, Junior Haley Larson (Loxahatchee, FL) followed up another NGU goal with a solid crease roll to even the score 2-2 with 27:02 remaining in the half.

For the remainder of the half, EC and NGU held the score within one point of each other, scoring back and forth to finally see a tied 5-5 score at halftime. The Lions set the tone for the start of the second half with the offense scoring 5 unanswered goals and the defense shutting down the Crusaders for an entire 14 minutes. EC soccer standout Alley Howell (Watkinsville, GA) made a remarkable debut in her first-ever lacrosse game as she subbed in as goalie for the second half, blocking the first three shot attempts by the NGU offense. Howell came through for the Lions and finished the night blocking a staggering 6 out of 11 shots.

The Crusaders rallied in the final minutes of the game scoring 3 goals in a row but came up short as the Lions could not be tamed, winning 13-10. Gratz led the team making 86% of her shots and grabbing 7 ground balls, the most of the night. Russell logged 2 assists along with Gratz, Megan Hart (Acworth, GA), and Tyler Rediger (Hoschton, GA) each achieving one.

The Lady Lions are looking for another conference win as they travel to Converse College on March 8, facing the Lady Valkyries at 4 PM.