EWING, N.J. – Junior Bailey Pilder (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) posted a career-high 13 saves and sophomore Courtney Patterson (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Hunterdon Central Regional) scored a career-high four goals to lead top-ranked Gettysburg College past fourth-ranked College of New Jersey 9-5 in a rematch of the 2017 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship title game Thursday night.

Gettysburg (7-0) recorded its largest margin of victory against TCNJ (7-2) since the two programs first met in 2000. Each of the Bullets' previous six wins over the Lions came by a single goal, including a 6-5 win in last May's national championship.

Patterson, who scored the game-tying goal in last year's title game, scored three goals in the opening period and accounted for her team's only tally in the second half. She also tallied three ground balls, four draw controls, and a caused turnover. Pilder logged eight of her stops in the first period and bested her career high by two.

Senior Katie Willis (Baltimore, Md./Notre Dame Prep) and freshman Bri Stokes (Sudbury, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury) each scored a pair of goals for the Bullets. Junior Brooke Holechek (Reisterstown, Md./Notre Dame Prep) turned in three caused turnovers and a pair of ground balls. Senior Ali Gorab (Southport, Conn./Fairfield) corralled a pair of ground balls.

Kathleen Jaeger recorded a hat trick for TCNJ. Elizabeth Morrison contributed four ground balls, four caused turnovers. And seven draw controls.

Gettysburg nearly equaled its scoring output from last year's finale in the first 16 minutes of action. Willis and junior Steph Colson (Westminster, Md./Manchester Valley) broke down the defense for unassisted tallies and following a goal by Jaeger, Patterson went back-to-back, including a shoe-lace skipping free-position shot at 14:51. Stokes added to the lead 28 seconds later on a nice feed by senior Maggie Welsh (Rye, N.H./Holy Child).

Pilder set the tone defensively with five of her saves in the first eight minutes of the game. After Patterson scored her third goal to make it 8-3, the junior goalie blocked a last-second attempt by Olivia Cleale before the half to preserve the advantage.

Gettysburg struggled with ball possession in the second half, committing 14 of its season-high 22 turnovers in the frame. However, TCNJ was unable to take advantage as the Bullets' stout defense held up, forcing nine turnovers. Pilder posted three stops in the first 4:04 of the second half to maintain the lead.

After 20 scoreless minutes, the hosts cut the lead with a goal by Cleale with 9:31 left. Holechek played a big role on the next two TCNJ attempts, causing a pair of turnovers to prevent any additional damage. Gettysburg converted off the second stop as senior Katie Landry (Hingham, Mass./Hingham) found Patterson lurking by the cage with 6:28 remaining.

The Lions' final goal came from Amanda Muller with 4:58 left. A shot by Erin Jaffe hit the post with 3:43 remaining and Pilder turned in her final save on a shot by Jaclyn Douglas with 1:56 left. After regaining the ball, the Bullets maintained possession over the final 1:38 to close out the victory.

TCNJ led in shots (34-15), ground balls (18-13), and draw controls (9-7).

Gettysburg has defeated five nationally-ranked teams this spring with each of the last three ranking among the top 10.

The Bullets return home to face Muhlenberg College (5-2, 1-0 CC) in a Centennial Conference contest this Saturday at 1 p.m.