After falling behind visiting Rowan University by five goals midway through the second half, the Eastern University women's lacrosse team scored four times in a four minute span to get back in the game, but the rally fell short, and the Eagles lost 11-9. Jessie Basch scored four times.

Rowan finished the afternoon with a 16-6 edge in draw controls, and the advantage off the draws was critical early as the visitors built a 4-0 lead just six and a half minutes into the game. Grace Griffith finally put the home team on the board with an unassisted tally with 20 minutes to play.

Rowan, however, answered right back with a transition goal after a save of a Basch shot. Basch then appeared to take matters into her own hands as she scored on a free position shot, and a minute and a half later picked up a rebound on a KimCampbell save and out-ran the entire Rowan midfield for a rare end-to-end solo effort. 

Rowan rebounded with two more goals before the half to take a 7-3 lead to the locker room. Both teams fired 12 shots in the first half, but Eastern head coach Camrin Azzarano was  not pleased with her team's performance through the first 30 minutes.

Griffith scored her second of the afternoon to cut the Rowan lead to 7-4 with 27:35 to go in the contest, but Rowan's Lauren Crennan took the ensuing draw straight to goal to score just eight seconds later. Carly Welsh tallied her third of the afternoon to put the Profs up 9-4 with 22:30 showing on the scoreboard.

Basch scored another unassisted strike to cut into the deficit two minutes later, but Rowan's point leader on the year, Kelly Angstadt put away a free position shot for her only goal of the game to bump the visitor's edge back up to five. 

Down five goals, the Eastern defense had to make changes, and Coach Azzarano moved her squad into a more aggressive posture in the midfield, and the Eagles began to take away balls and create chances. Those chances started to pay off when Griffith completed her hat trick with 12:23 on the clock. Basch then scored her fourth of the day just 18 seconds later. 

With her midfield extended, Azzarano inserted several reserves, and they came through with two more goals as Anne Dietrich set up Allie Fultz with a pass right on the doorstep, and Jess Field scored her first goal of the year on a free position shot to cut the Rowan lead to 10-9 with eight minutes to play. 

The Eagles took possession back several times over the final eight minutes, but as often it seems to happen, the energy expended in the comeback seemed to cost them in the execution late, and Rowan was able to force turnovers in response. The Profs were able to hold the ball in the Eastern zone for the final two minutes of the contest before Alli Dickey scored her second of the day to give the visitors the final edge with just nine seconds to play.

The Eagles will have to rebound quickly from the loss as they return to MAC play tomorrow with a home game against Manhattanville College.

Box Score