Williams Excels For Women's Lacrosse in Loss to Mercer

Box Score MACON, GA --- In the wildest, most competitive game of the 2015 season for the Howard women's lacrosse team, the Lady Bison, led by freshman Aria Williams, came up just short in a 21-15 defeat to the Mercer University Bears in an Atlantic Sun Conference (A-Sun) matchup on Saturday afternoon.

Williams, who went into the Mercer game with a team-high seven goals, exploded for eight scores on Saturday alone, nearly matching the school record of 10 by former great Cynithia Smalls. Williams' eight goals had to be matched by a Mercer school record by the Bears' Kate Leone.

Both teams also had players score two goals (for Howard, senior Michaela Jupiter) and one goal (freshman Natia Warren), but the teams' second leading goal tallies showed the difference - senior Jaymie Cox scored a season-high four goals but Mercer produced two players who recorded five goals.

Leone and Williams scored the first four goals of the game to tie the contest at 2-2 before the Bears doubled up Howard (6-3) to take an 8-5 lead.

Williams, Cox and Warren combined to rattle off four straight goals afterwards to take their first lead of the game at 9-8, with Williams netting the first and last scores in the stretch.

Once again, Leone and Williams put on their personal two-woman show - Leone scored the final goal of the first half to send the teams into intermission knotted at 9-9 but Williams would score two of the first three goals in the second to give Howard (0-6, 0-4 A-Sun) an 11-10 advantage with 25:07 remaining in the game.

Unfortunately, the game took a turn for the worst as Mercer (4-7, 1-3 A-Sun) went on an 8-0 run over the next 18 minutes to go up 17-11 before canceling out the Lady Bison's final four goals with a quartet of their own.

Besides HU's season-best 15 goals, the team also set 2015 high marks in shots on goal (26), ground balls (25), team saves (16), and save percentage (.432).

NEXT UP: The Lady Bison have a week off before traveling to Michigan to face Detroit-Mercy in A-Sun action on Saturday, April 11 at 2 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#1 Cynithia Smalls: 5' 6"; Senior

#16 Jaymie Cox: D; 4' 11"; Senior

#26 Michaela Jupiter: A; 5' 8"; Senior

#18 Natia Warren: M; 5' 6"; Freshman

#11 Aria Williams: M; 5' 6"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#1 Cynithia Smalls
: 5' 6"; Senior

#16 Jaymie Cox
: 4' 11"; Senior
: D

#26 Michaela Jupiter
: 5' 8"; Senior
: A

#18 Natia Warren
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: M

#11 Aria Williams
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: M