n in last week's overtime NCAA championship rematch against Gettysburg College, the College's lacrosse team (8-2) rebounded by winning two games this week before falling to Salisbury University (13-1) on Saturday in a matchup of the nation's top teams.
The No. 6 ranked Lions traveled to Maryland to take on the No. 2 ranked Sea Gulls of Salisbury University. In a rematch of the 2005 Division III National Championship game, the Sea Gulls got revenge by defeating the College 13-12 on a last-minute goal.
After the Lions took a 12-9 lead with nine minutes left in the game, the Sea Gulls scored the game's last four goals, including the game-winner by senior attacker Natalie Degele with only 42 seconds left in the game.
"It was disappointing because we played well for most of the game; we just didn't finish as strong as we needed to in order to come out on top," sophomore defender Tara Klein said.
The College received balanced offensive play with nine players scoring goals. Freshman attacker Angela Wilmer, junior midfielder Karen Doane and sophomore attacker Rachel Gordon each scored a pair of goals in the game.
The loss, which was the second in the past two weeks for the Lions, will show how well the team is able to respond before the upcoming playoffs.
"We're going to have to learn from our mistakes, and I know once we come together as a team we'll be stronger than before," Klein said.
The Lions began the week with a 13-0 shutout win over the Mount Saint Vincent College Dolphins (3-5) on Tuesday. The shutout was the Lions' first since a 20-0 win over Drew University on March 28, 1995. The College built an early 10-0 lead in the first half before continuing to dominate the rest of the game.
The College got four goals from junior midfielder Toni-Anne Cavallo, three from Doane and a pair of goals from both junior attacker Kristin Zucconi and Gordon. Junior attacker Diane Haddeland and sophomore midfielder Katie Reuther also added goals in the victory. Junior goalkeeper Caitlin Gregory recorded four saves in the shutout.
"We played really well as a team and it was good to come out strong after our loss to Gettysburg," Klein said.
The Lions netted a season-high scoring attack in a 19-11 victory over Elizabethtown College (8-2) on Thursday. The win snapped Elizabethtown's seven-game winning streak and showcased the offensive firepower of the Lions.
"Even though we went up early, we had to fight until the end to hold our lead," Klein said.
Junior attacker Kate Neese had five goals and an assist, while Gordon scored four.
The Lions have four games left in the regular season before they begin the playoffs in search of a third consecutive national championship.
The College hosts Colorado College on Friday at 7 p.m. and Frostburg State University on Saturday at 4 p.m.
