Fairfax, Va -- The George Mason lacrosse team battled hard against nationally ranked Richmond, but in the end the Spiders offense took over as the Spiders defeated the Patriots, 21-9, today on Senior Day at George Mason Stadium.

The No. 19 ranked Spiders (14-3, 8-1) used a 7-1 run spanning the middle quarters to defeat Mason. The Patriots end its season 3-14, 2-7 in the Atlantic 10.
 
Morgan Gunn opened the scoring in the match on the Patriots' first possession at 13:29. The match was knotted at 2-2, after consecutive goals by Richmond and a goal by Mason's Shannon Tuozzo at 8:08 left. The Spiders earned the first seven draw controls of the game to stay on the offensive end, scoring three straight goals, including a hat trick by Sophia DiCenso to break the tie and lead, 5-2.
 
A Richmond turnover led to an offensive possession for Patriots and a Phoebe Nelson goal, assisted by O'Brien, with under a minute remaining to cut the Spider lead, 3-5. Richmond responded quickly with a goal to end the period with a 6-3 lead. Fiona Rickels made a buzzer-beating save after a Patriot turnover, one of the senior's two saves in the opening period.
 
Mason inserted goalkeeper Meghan Deehan to begin the second period. 
 
After a Chloe Reed shot bounced off the post, senior Nelson was there for the rebound and a quick shot and score. The Spiders responded again with two consecutive goals to increase the lead to four at 8-4.
 
On the subsequent draw control, O'Brien would etch her name in the record books with her 100^th draw control of the season. The grad student finished her decorated career with 140 draw controls, good for fourth all-time at Mason.
 
The Patriots wouldn't go away easily, as the Patriots found the back of the net with goals by O'Brien, her 35th of the season, and Shannon Tuozzo to cut the lead back to two goals, 8-6. Assists were awarded to Tuozzo and senior Olivia Heaton.
 
Richmond's high-powered offense, second only to UMass in the A-10, stepped up with a 7-1 run spanning the middle quarters, as the Spiders cruised to a 15-7 advantage after the third period, a scoreless stanza for the Patriots. 
 
The Patriots scored its final two goals of the match to start the fourth. Grad student Tuozzo netted her fourth of the game to finish her season with 36 goals. Chloe Reed got her 10^th of the season to come within six of the Spiders, 15-9, but Richmond scored the final six goals of the game.