PURCHASE, N.Y. – Returning home from last week's Florida spring break trip, the Manhattanville University women's lacrosse team fell to Delaware Valley on Wednesday evening in a tightly-contested 12-11 matchup. The loss drops the Valiants to 1-3 overall, while the Aggies improve to 5-2.

The game came down to the wire, as the largest lead on either side sat at just three goals. The first quarter was the highest scoring frame of the affair as both sides slotted four tallies each. Ashley Glass (Mahopac, N.Y./Lakeland) put the Valiants on the board 4:35 into the contest off an assist by Pietra Cabral (Mineola, N.Y./Mineola). The score held steady for close to four minutes before the Aggies got their first scores of the afternoon with Ashley Birmingham scoring twice in a two minute span to put Delawar Valley in front. Manhattanville was quick to respond as Kaci Pierce (Niantic, Conn./East Lyme) and Cabral scored a pair of goals separated by just nine seconds. Pierce's tally was assist by Katherine Stahl (Middletown, R.I./Middletown), while Kathleen O'Mara (Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) picked up her first point of the affair with the helper on Cabral's strike.

The quarter continued to a frenzied end with three more goals in the closing 2:13. Abbie Hostetler and Kyra McKeegan put the Aggies back in front 4-3 with 1:45 left in the first before Cabral closed out the opening frame with her second of the day 19 seconds later as the game headed into the second all tied up.

The Aggies took the largest lead of the game with three straight goals in the second. Katie Martin put the visitors back in front before Kyra McKeegan added back-to-back strikes to give DelVal a 7-4 lead. Stahl brought an end to the Aggie run with her first goal of the year with 3:52 left in the half. Birmingham earned herself a first half hat trick with her third goal with 2:36 remaining before O'Mara scored her first of the day in the final minute of the half to make it an 8-6 game through 30 minutes.

O'Mara made it a one goal game to open the third quarter scoring with an unassisted tally four minutes in. Charley Lengel-Krame quickly restored the two goal advantage for the Aggies 33 seconds after O'Mara's goal, but back-to-back goals from Pierce and Jocelyn Mazo (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) made it a tied game for the first time since late in the first. After picking up the assist on Pierce's second of the contest, Mazo broke into the scoring column following a Delaware Valley yellow card that gave the Valiants a numbers advantage with 8:30 left in the third.

The Aggies responded with two straight goals from Martin and Gabriella Guerra to retake the lead. Cabral closed out the quarter with her second hatty of the year following another Aggie card, scoring with 18 seconds left to send the game into the fourth with the Vals down 11-10.

Defense took over in the fourth for both sides, with just two total goals being netted over the final 15 minutes. Guerra netted a crucial insurance tally for the Aggies with 7:33 remaining, scoring on a free position following a Manhattanville yellow card. Stahl was able to get the Valiants back to within one with a free position woman-up goal of her own with 50 ticks left on the clock, but a Manhattanville green card after the ensuing draw allowed the Aggies to successfully run out the remainder of the clock and escape with the one-goal victory.

Megan McDonald (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River) put up the best game of her young career to keep the Valiants in the game, making a season-high 16 saves. McDonald's .571 save percentage in the contest was also a new personal best, while she added three ground balls and a caused turnover.

O'Mara continues to lead the Valiants' draw control effort as she added ten in the contest. Mariah Stephen added five, while Pierce collected two.

O'Mara was also Manhattanville's defensive leader with eight ground balls and three caused turnovers. Mazo also forced three Aggie turnovers, while Stephens chipped in three grounders.

Up Next
The Valiants close out the week on Saturday, hosting SUNY Polytechnic at 2 p.m.

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