HARROGATE, Tenn. – After tying the game at 9-9 with just under eight minutes remaining, the LMU women's lacrosse team gave up three unanswered goals late and fell to Catawba 12-9 on a rainy and cold Saturday at the LMU Lacrosse Complex.

LMU falls to 4-3 on the season and 1-2 in the SAC, while Catawba is now 7-5 overall and 3-0 in SAC play.

Casey Kelly and Erin DePaul led LMU with three goals apiece, with Kelly also chipping in two assists and winning a game-high seven draws. Amara Moss, Rachel Gardner and Kennedy Buechner each notched a goal apiece. Zoe Zervos, Autumn Beddington and Shannon Novak each had five ground balls, while Novak had 14 saves.

CC was led by four goals off the bench from Imani Grays. Katie Barth had three goals. Madison Anselmo had nine saves for the game.

Gianna Pezzulo put the Indians on the board first, but two minutes later Rachel Gardner evened up the game off an assist from Kelly. Catawba then scored three unanswered goals only to see the Lady Railsplitters do the same and tie the game at 4-4 with 18:22 left. The goals in that stretch were by Moss, Kelly and Buechner.
Barth then hit back to back goals to give Catawba the 6-4 lead. DePaul would cut the lead to 6-5 late but the Indians scored with two minutes left to take a 7-5 lead at the half.

Kelly found DePaul open and she scored with 21:30 left in the game to cut the lead to 7-6, but Grays would score a pair of goals to extend the Indian lead. Kelly then scored a pair of goals herself and DePaul scored again to tie the game at 9-9 with 7:47 left in the game.

As the weather conditions deteriorated, so did the play as neither team could generate any offense for the next four minutes. After a shot by Moss was saved, Anselmo picked up the ground ball and got the ball to Pezzulo for the clear. Pezzulo then found Barth cutting in front of the goal and Barth put it in, giving the Indians the 10-9 lead.

LMU had fouled on the shot, so the Indians go the ball back at midfield. Grays was fouled a minute later and converted the free position goal with 2:30 left in the game. LMU could not get a shot off in the final minutes, and after a turnover and a LMU yellow card, Nicole Hunt scored the insurance woman-up goal with 38 seconds remaining and the Indians held on for the win.

Quick Hits
- Kelly, Moss and Buechner are the only three LMU players to score in every game this season.

Up Next
LMU will step out of conference for a pair of games during spring break. On Monday they host Division III Mount Saint Mary at 4 p.m. and then on Wednesday they make the trip up the Powell Valley for a 7 p.m. first draw at UVa-Wise. They will return to SAC play next Saturday at Wingate.