The Radford Highlanders women’s lacrosse team was eliminated from the Big South Tournament after a 15-5 loss to Furman on April 28 at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina.
This match marked Radford’s first appearance in the tournament since 2021. The defeat ended their hopes of advancing to the conference semifinals.
Furman took control with a four-goal run in the second quarter and continued their momentum with a 6-1 stretch at the start of the second half. Ava LaManna made 14 saves for Radford, finishing her junior season just three saves short of tying the program’s all-time record. Molly O’Brien led Radford with two goals, while Furman dominated several statistical categories including shots (45-21), draw controls (17-5), and caused turnovers (13-8).
The game began with Furman scoring quickly after winning the opening draw. Despite efforts from Cassidy Deierlein and Alyssa Yost, who each had early chances, Furman built an early lead. O’Brien scored Radford’s first goal following a draw control win by Mady Cheney, but Furman responded promptly to maintain their advantage. Maggie Wisniewski added another goal for Radford late in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, O’Brien scored again off a pass from Maddy Driscoll to bring Radford within one goal before Furman’s offense surged ahead. In the third period, Yost contributed another highlight-reel goal for Radford but it was not enough as Furman pulled away further.
The final quarter saw both teams struggle with turnovers as Furman’s lead grew and they secured victory.
