Sacred Heart
0-5
Gardner-Webb University
0-4
Women’s Lacrosse Holds on for First Win, 8-7 over Gardner Webb
3/7/2026 3:46:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Sacred Heart University women's lacrosse team scored four-straight to open up the fourth quarter and held on late for the first win in 2026, 8-7 over Gardner Webb at Spangler Stadium.
Maggie Areaneo led seven different Pioneers who scored in the victory with a pair of goals, while Brooke Gyllenhaal net the game-winning goal which was also the senior's first tally of the season. Between the pipes, Madalynn Eder-Linell earned the victory as she came on in the fourth quarter to make three saves and allow just a single goal in 15 minutes of work.
Final Score:
Sacred Heart - 8
Gardner Webb - 7
Records:
Sacred Heart (1-5)
Gardner Webb (0-5)
Top Performers:
Maggie Araneo – 4 points (2G, 2A) | 1 GB | 1 CT
Madeline Lively – 2 points (1G, 1A) | 1 CT
Brooke Gyllenhaal – 1 points (1G) | 4 GB | 2 CT
Between the Pipes:
SHU – Madalynn Eder-Linell: 1 goal-against | 3 saves
SHU – Margaret Morgan: 6 goals-against | 2 saves|
GWU – Emma Anderson: 8 goals-against | 9 saves
How it Happened:
Gardner Webb opened the scoring with two goals in the first two minutes, but Sacred Heart answered right back with two of their own goals over the next two minutes. Calleigh Hayes opened up the Pios scoring with an assist from Araneo, while Araneo struck 90 seconds later unassisted.
After a scoreless first 12 minutes in the second quarter, Gardner Webb opened up the scoring with another set of back-to-back goals, however the Pioneers got the final word in the first half with Taylor Farace scoring off an assist from Madeline Lively to make it a one goal deficit at the half.
The third quarter once again saw just three goals in total with Gardner Webb scoring the first and third of the period with those two goals sandwiching an unassisted tally from Nadine Galiano.
The Pioneers came out with a flurry of goals in the fourth quarter, turning a two-goal deficit into a two-goal lead with four-straight all from different players. Lively started out the stretch scoring less than two minutes into the quarter while Araneo added her second just over a minute later.
More than halfway through the quarter, Jamie Tanner gave Sacred Heart its first and only lead of the day while Gyllenhaal connected with Araneo for what would eventually become the game-winning goal with 5:18 remaining. Gardner Webb managed to get one of the four fourth-quarter goals back but was unsuccessful of erasing the deficit as the Pioneers pulled out of North Carolina with their first victory of the season.
Up Next:
The Pioneers are back in action with a midweek match-up in West Long Branch, N.J. as they take on the Monmouth Hawks on Wednesday, March 11th. Opening draw is set for 2:00 p.m.
