Box Score (PDF)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The George Mason University women's lacrosse team held the lead at halftime but could not withstand a strong move from George Washington in the second half, falling to the host Colonials 17-10 on Saturday afternoon in the District.
Mason led 6-4 at the break, but the Colonials held a 13-4 scoring edge in the second half to secure the Revolutionary Rivalry victory.
Junior
Deanna Balsama led Mason with a season-best four goals on the day while registering a pair of draw controls.
Senior
Niki Baker added a career-best three points on a goal and two assists, while senior
Erin Donoghue grabbed a team-best four draw controls while also tallying a goal and an assist. In addition, three additional Patriots scored a goal for the Green & Gold.
In the cage, freshman
Mason Donohue continued her strong play of late with 13 saves. She is averaging 12.0 saves per game over the past three contests.
GW scored the first two goals of the game, but Mason fought back with a pair to tie the score. The run included unassisted goals by freshman
Kate Antonelli and Balsama.
After GW went up 3-2, Mason utilized a 4-0 run to take a 6-3 edge with 7:53 to play in the first half. That included a man-advantage goal from sophomore
Chloe Reed off the feed from Donoghue.
GW added a score before the break to trail Mason 6-4 at halftime.
A 4-0 run from GW opened the second half and put the Colonials up 8-6 at the 24:23 mark. A Donoghue score cut it to one (8-7), but four-straight from GW increased the lead back to five (12-7) with 19:17 to play.
Mason raced right back with a 3-0 spurt to move within two (12-10) with 14:10 left, fueled by a pair of goals from Balsama.
But that's as close as the Patriots would get, as George Washington would score the final five goals of the game.
Mason opens its home schedule on Friday (March 26) with a 5 p.m. contest vs. Davidson at George Mason Stadium.