WINCHESTER, Va. - The SU women's lacrosse team completed its first regular season under coach Lois Bowers Saturday afternoon with a 15-8 Dixie Conference victory over Ferrum College.

The win over the Panthers clinches the No. 4 seed for Shenandoah (5-5, 2-3) at next week's Dixie Conference Tournament; the Hornets will host No. 5 seed Ferrum on Tuesday at 4:00 in the quarterfinal round.

The winner of this game will take on the No. 1 seed (either Greensboro or Christopher Newport) in Friday's semi-finals in Fayetteville, N.C.

The five victories is also the most for the program since the 1997 squad finished 9-4.

Even though Ferrum (2-7, 1-4) started the game two-men down, the Panthers led the contest 3-1 after Ginni Matern scored the second of her team high five goals at the 22:37 mark of the first. 

Following a Hornets time-out, the hosts re-took the lead for with five straight goals in the next 7:39 and led 8-5 after Joia Davis (Trenton, NJ/Stuart County) closed out the first half scoring by tallying with three seconds left.

The second half mirrored the first; the two teams traded the first four goals of the final 30 minutes before Shenandoah sealed the game with a four goal run from the 22:51 to 18:53 marks.

Davis finished with five goals while Sharon Sparwasser (Baltimore, Md./Kenwood) and Christine LaTouche (Elkton, Va./Spotswood) had three each.

Matern had five, Carrie Conques three and Jennifer Phillips one for FC.

A complete box score and play by play for this game can be found at http://www.su.edu/athletics/wlax/2003/041203.htm