YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. | The University of Alabama in Huntsville women's lacrosse team is set for the second Gulf South Conference Invitational hosted by Young Harris this weekend as the second seed with a Friday matchup against third-seeded Shorter at 1 p.m. CST.
 
UAH finished tied atop the league standings with Young Harris with a 7-1 GSC record, but YHC earned hosting rights with the scoring margin tiebreaker. The Chargers also boasted a 13-4 overall during the second season competing in the sport, as the squad has continued its offensive prominence again this year with nine games with 20 goals or more.
 
The Chargers notched a league-high five All-GSC honorees in addition to the GSC Player of the Year in Nicole Federovitch and the GSC Freshman of the Year in Jenna Carr. Amongst UAH's All-GSC honorees included two-time awardees Federovitch and Natalie Pachinger, while Carr, Alanna Carvalho and Kinta Schott earned the honor for the first time in their careers.
 
The Blue & White enter the weekend with a ranking of third nationally and first in the league with 17.47 goals per game, led by Federovitch with 55 goals to rate eighth in NCAA Division II. Both Jenna Carr (46 goals) and Pachinger (46 goals) rank in the top 25 in goals in the nation as well.
 
Pachinger – a four-time GSC Defensive Player of the Week honoree in 2017 – has been the Chargers most consistent all-around performer this season, leading the squad and ranking second in the GSC with 4.12 ground balls per game, 2.06 caused turnovers per game and 4.24 draw controls per game in addition to ranking third on the UAH roster with 57 points on 46 goals and 11 assists.
 
Shorter finished the regular season with a 10-5 overall record and a 4-4 mark within the league, wrapping up the GSC slate with a 20-14 loss at Young Harris this past Saturday. The Hawks offense is led by Crystal Marshall (45g-23a) and Shelby Beverly (40g-24a), while Catherine Mitchner has played the majority of time in goal for an 8.87 goals against average and a .516 save percentage. UAH is 4-0 all-time against Shorter.
 
Last season, UAH reached the GSC Invitational Championship game against Young Harris with the Mountain Lions coming away with the inaugural GSC Championship with a 17-7 win over the Chargers on April 24 in Young Harris, Georgia.
 
The winner of Friday's 1 p.m. matchup looks ahead to the GSC Invitational Championship on Sunday at 12 p.m. CST.