Lexington, Ky. - On Saturday afternoon, the Transylvania Pioneers were set to take on the Hanover Panthers in the HCLC Championship match, with an automatic bid to the 2022 NCAA Tournament on the line. This championship match was between the two powerhouses of the Heartland Collegiate Lacrosse Conference, as the Pioneers went undefeated through their conference schedule, and the Panthers' only conference loss was to Transylvania.

It was a cloudy and rainy day in Lexington, but the weather would not faze the two teams as the championship was the only thing on their minds. As the game got started, the Pioneers were aggressive on the attack and were the first to get on the board. First-year midfielder Charlotte Green came through with an assist from sophomore Linley Dawson. Shortly after, the Pioneers scored again as Dawson netted a goal of her own, with an assist this time coming from Vianne Koshoffer, to quickly get out to a 2-0 lead. 

As the quarter progressed, the Pioneers continued to work and create separation between themselves and the Panthers. The team scored a total of five more before the end of the opening period and held the Panthers to zero. Two of those five goals came back to back by the HCLC Offensive Player of the Year Abbey Peterson. The other three were scored by junior Mandi Rider, senior Lindy Walker, and first-year Diana Bruder. 

Peterson eventually netted a first half hat trick with her third goal coming at the halfway point of the second period. Hanover found their first of the day shortly after Peterson's, to make the score 8-1 with just under six minutes remaining in the half. Three minutes after the Panther goal, the Pioneers answered with a free position goal by Dawson for her second of the game. Minutes later Dawson made it three, as the Pios took a 10-1 lead, rolling into the second half with the momentum on their side. 

At the start of the third quarter Hanover cut into the Pioneer lead with two tallies, making it 10-3. The Pioneers eventually answered back with a goal from Peterson, her fourth of the game, to give Transylvania a bit more cushion. At the five minute mark the Panthers made it 11-4 and prompted a Pioneer timeout. Immediately out of the reset, Transylvania's Peterson added to her total with a fifth tally on the day to give the Pios an eight goal lead with four minutes remaining in the third. Green struck right after Peterson, for her second of the game, to build the lead up to nine. The Pioneers found their 10th goal with hardly any time left on the clock, coming from a shot by Rider and assisted by Green. Heading into the final quarter, the Pioneers held the lead 14-4. 

To start the fourth the Panthers stopped Transy from running away with the afternoon, making it 14-6, but the Pioneers maintained control. They carefully used the possession clock to their advantage. Hanover scored a seventh goal at the halfway point in the fourth quarter to cut the Pioneer lead to seven, but Transylvania's Bruder found her second of the game right after. Rider tacked on another for the Pioneers and the championship title was in their sights. The teams went scoreless in the final five minutes, and the clock ran out to finalize a 16-7 win for Transylvania. 

The Transylvania women's lacrosse team claims their fourth straight conference title, with the last three all coming on wins over Hanover, not including the 2020 season which went unfinished due to the pandemic. With another championship under their belts, a dynasty has been built at Pat Deacon Stadium. 

Named to the All-Tournament team from the Pioneers were Abby Rau, Ysa Leon, Linley Dawson, and Abi Waldron. The four contributed all over the field from Rau's tight defense, to Leon and Dawson controlling the midfield, and finally Waldron who made save after save in goal. 

Transylvania earns an automatic bid into the 2022 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship. They will take on Washington and Jefferson College, to be played in Lexington, Virginia, on Saturday May 14th with a 1 PM scheduled start. More information can be found on the tournament page as well as ticketing information for Saturday's contest. 

For more on Transylvania women's lacrosse, follow @TransyWLax on Twitter