Greenville, S.C. – No. 4 Davenport used an offensive surge to defeat No. 1 SCAD Savannah (Ga.), 15-8, in the semifinals of the 2016 Women's Lacrosse National Invitational Friday afternoon at Sirrine Stadium.

With the win, Davenport (16-3) advances into the finals of the national invitational and face No. 2 Georgetown (Ky.), which defeated Lawrence Tech, 12-8 earlier today, Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT.

Davenport struck first as Tara Pluger connected with the NAIA Player of the Year Brooke Knoll for a pair of goals. SCAD Savannah cut the lead to 2-1 when Olivia Stahl found Kirsten Carr in front of the cage for a goal.

Amber Livingston's goal sparked a 4-0 run, spanning 6:36, to give Davenport a 6-1 lead with 12:25 remaining. Both teams added a pair of goals before the half, giving the Panthers an 8-3 lead at the break.

Davenport held an 18-9 advantage in shots and a 10-2 advantage in draw controls during the opening 30 minutes.

SCAD Savannah scored two of the first three goals of the second half to cut the deficit to 9-5. Davenport responded netting six of the next seven goals to extend their lead to 15-6 with11:34 remaining. The Bees added a pair of goals in the final minutes for the 15-8 final.

Knoll, the Castle Rock, Colo., native scored a game-high seven goals on eight shots. Jessica Lemcke and Amber Livingston each added a pair of goals, while Mariah Newton and Maeve Sweeney both picked up five draw controls.

Taylor Vaccaro, Kirsten Carr, and Drew Dowgiallo each netted a pair of goals in the loss for SCAD Savannah. Goalkeeper Maggie Lortz made a season-high eight saves in the cage.

*Courtesy of NAIA Invitational Media Staff, NAIA.org