Women’s Soccer
The women’s soccer ended their season Nov. 6 with a tough 1-0 loss to Belhaven University in the CCS Semifinals.
The Lions’ final record is officially 7-6-4 (5-2-1 CCS). They were able to beat Belhaven in their regular season meeting 2-1, but could not pull off the victory Wednesday.
The Lions were held to just seven shots by the Blazers, who had 21 of their own. The only goal in the contest was scored by Nneka Udeh at 56:53. Hannah Thompson played a tremendous game for the Lions in net, posting 10 saves.
“We played with our hearts and did everything we could to find a way to win.” said junior Paige Kluba. “Unfortunately the cards folded the way they did, but I am proud of us for the mountains of adversity that we overcame this season.”
Kluba was named to the All-CCS 2nd Team for her stellar season, finishing with 13 total points, five of them being goals. Senior Sophie Wells and junior Sierra Judson were named to the All-CCS 1st Team. Judson led the Lions in goals for 2024, posting six. Wells was a force in the midfield and defense and played a massive role in many wins for the Lions.
Throughout the season, the Lions were dealt blow after blow with injuries, tough scheduling, and tough losses. Freshman Madison Johnson was forced to play goalkeeper halfway through the season, as senior Haylee Dornan and junior Maggie Leger both suffered injuries. Eventually, Hannah Thompson returned to Piedmont to step in for Johnson, and played the final five games for the Lions.
“We never stopped fighting no matter what obstacles we faced, and I will forever be proud of this team and the success we were able to find even if it wasn’t all that we wanted,” said Kluba.
Five seniors depart Piedmont after this season: Dornan, Wells, Chloe Spradlin, Ayndi Wimmer, and Victoria Sierra. All leave a lasting legacy of dedication, grit and leadership.
Although the Lions were unable to overcome the tough challenge of Belhaven in the playoffs, they were able to overcome countless obstacles throughout the season to get them where they needed to be. Beloved head coach Timmy McCormack and his squad look to return better than ever in 2025.
—Grant Prather
Men’s Basketball
The Lions traveled to Spartanburg, SC for their second Division I exhibition game of the preseason, resulting in Piedmont losing 103-70 to USC Upstate (1-1) on Nov. 6.
Piedmont came out strong in the first half, tying the score four times, but could not keep up in the second half, allowing the Spartans to take over for the win.
While it was not a close game, Piedmont did have some positive takeaways, committing only 13 turnovers, compared to 16 from USC Upstate. They closely matched the home team with points off turnovers, trailing the Spartans 21-19.
Piedmont was outscored in each half by roughly 20 points. Senior Bailey Wiseman continued his success after an injury-plagued season in 2023-24, earning his first season start and leading the team with 13 points. Graduate student Griffin Neville capitalized on rebounds for the team, coming up with five offensive and four defensive rebounds.
Head coach Greg Neely said before the season that he intentionally schedules incredibly difficult opponents to open the season to test his squad’s mettle. “I like these games because if we are not great at the simple details, they will expose us big time,” he said, adding that he isn’t concerned as much with wins or losses in these early games, but is more focused on how the team has played. “When conference games come around, the team will compete and know how to play better together because of the adversity we went through in the non-conference schedule.”
The 2024-2025 season will officially begin for the Lions Saturday, Nov. 16, with their home opener vs Johnson & Wales.
—Angelica Lux
Women’s Basketball
The Piedmont women’s basketball team opened the 2024-25 season on Nov. 8 against East Texas Baptist University. The Lady Lions were unable to find success with a 72-54 loss on the road. Junior Hayley Borino led the team scoring 11 points off the bench.
“It was our first game of the season against a tough opponent, and we didn’t play to our full potential,” said Junior Hayley Borino. “Our main goals for the season are having winning records, winning conference and ultimately making it to the NCAA tournament.”
The first quarter appeared to be evenly matched with ETBU taking a 13-11 lead. In the second quarter ETBU created some distance, but the Lions stayed within striking distance despite a 6-0 run by the Tigers. Piedmont did not score from the floor in over a six-minute span until senior Kennedi Henson hit a 3-pointer in the final 30 seconds to break the drought.
The Lions trailed 34-25 at the half and were able to hold steady in the third quarter down 51-39. A 21-point fourth quarter from the Tigers proved to be too much as the Lions were not able to overcome the deficit. The Lions best performance came in the fourth quarter scoring 15 points.
The next day, the team picked up a big win against Rhodes College on Nov. 9, winning 79-62 for their first victory of the season.
“Our team chemistry is great this year, we all get along really well off the court which translates on the court,” said Borino. “We have a lot of returners coming back with the addition of three freshman who really mesh and fit right in.”
Neither team started the game hot, as Rhodes led at the end of the first 16-13. Piedmont pulled ahead in the second quarter 20-19 thanks to an Ashley Scott 3-pointer with 6:45 left to go until half. Rhodes continued to charge back and took the lead 31-24 until the Lions went on a 8-0 run and Scott once again hit a big shot giving the Lions a 32-31 lead going into half.
Piedmont used the momentum out of the break to put together a strong third quarter and leave no doubt. The Lady Lions were able to score 28 points in the third quarter and claim a 60-47 lead and did not let up with another 19 points in the fourth quarter to outscore Rhodes 47-31 in the second half.
Ashley Scott had a dominating performance with 20 points, leading the Lady Lions. Hayley Borino earned the start and was in double-figures for the second straight game with 13 points.
Up next, the Lions will be on the road at Oglethorpe on Nov 12. at 6 p.m.
—Zach Avila
