COLLEGEVILLE, PA. - A second half comeback falls short as the Ursinus College women's lacrosse team fell at home Saturday afternoon to Drew University 16-14. The Bears fell behind 7-2 early in the second quarter but tied the game at 13 a piece with six minutes to play in the game. Two goals in the final two minutes proved to be the difference at Patterson Field.
Senior Reilly Morgan led the Bears with 5 goals and one assist, while first-years Maeve Leonzi and Grace Lynch each added a hat trick in the game. Lynch's five assists are the most for the Bears in a single game since 2014, when Jayme Verman completed the feat against Cabrini.
With the loss, the Bears fell to 3-2 on the season. Meanwhile, the Rangers from the Landmark Conference improved to 5-0 overall.
The Rangers opened on a 2-0 run after Meliha Emini and Hailey Simmons each had a goal in the opening minutes. Morgan added her first goal of the contest at the 10:24 mark to make the score 2-1. Drew answered with another 2-0 run and controlled a 4-1 lead with 6:41 to play in the first. Later in the quarter, after a turnover from Drew, Leonzi found the back of the net at the 1:48 mark.
In the second quarter, the Rangers connected on a free position shot and a good clear led to a goal from Emma Dipatri to make the score 7-2. Ursinus would respond with three goals over the next three minutes as Morgan added her second of the game and Lynch added back-to-back goals. Morgan, Leonzi, and Gabrielle Liott each added goals before halftime as the Bears trailed 10-8 heading into the break.
In the third quarter, after a turnover from Drew, Liott snuck a shot past the Rangers goalkeeper to make the score 10-9. The Rangers went on a 3-1 run over the next six minutes and controlled a 13-10 lead with 5:16 to play in the quarter. Ursinus showed resilience again, closing out the third period on a 2-0 run after Lynch and Leonzi each found the net after fouls were called on Drew.
Both teams opened the fourth quarter struggling to find great chances on the offensive side of the field. Bears junior goalkeeper Alexa Machado earned three saves over the first nine minutes of the quarter. Meanwhile, Anna Home saved four shots for the Rangers in that time. Morgan tied the game at 13 a piece after she connected on a pass from Liott at the 6:00 mark. On the following possession, after Morgan earned a draw control, she her fifth and final goal.
The Rangers defense would step up and slow down the Bears over the final four minutes as Drew finished on a 3-0 run for a 16-14 road victory. Horne earned the win in net for Drew, collecting 16 saves on 30 shots. Meanwhile, Machado was handed the loss after making eight saves in the full 60 minutes of action.
The Bears will return to Patterson Field on Wednesday as they host Susquehanna for non-conference action starting at 4pm.