PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Behind a dominant second half, the George Mason women's lacrosse team earned its' first Atlantic 10 win of the season on Saturday afternoon, downing Duquesne on the road, 16-9.
Three Patriots tallied hat tricks, with six players notching multi-point games, led by
Shannon Tuozzo's five-goal, three-assist day. The eight points match a season-high while the three assists are a personal best. Tuozzo also grabbed a game-high eight draw controls in an all-around performance.
Over the opening nine minutes of the game, the Patriots (7-5, 1-3) built a 3-0 lead with goals from three different players. However, the Dukes (6-5, 1-3) responded with a three-goal run of their own to tie the game at the 14:35 mark of the second quarter.
Peyton Farley scored her first goal of the day just 10 seconds later, but Duquesne once again had a two-goal answer to take its' first lead of the day, 5-4, with just under 10 minutes to go in the half.
The teams traded goals to close the second and open the third, with a Dukes' goal coming halfway thru the third frame to give them an 8-7 lead. However, the Patriots strung together a nine-goal run spanning 20 minutes of game time to pull ahead by eight (16-8) with three minutes remaining.
Regan Bestick checked in at the half and allowed just two goals while making seven saves in net.
A stout Mason defense allowed just six Duquesne shots in the fourth, with Bestick making four saves, as the Dukes tallied just one goal in the final frame in the waning seconds as Mason cruised to a 16-9 victory.
PATRIOT POINTS
UP NEXT
Mason will have a week off before returning to Fairfax for a rivalry matchup with George Washington. Opening draw from George Mason Stadium is set for noon.
