ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Northern Michigan women's lacrosse team continued GLIAC play on Saturday afternoon, falling at Concordia St. Paul by a 13-9 margin. 

NMU fell behind early with a 5-2 deficit after one. It was just the third time this season NMU allowed five goals in the opening quarter, with the two other instances coming against top-10 opponents (Maryville and UIndy). The Wildcats scored six of the next seven to lead 8-6 in the third, but seven of the last eight came from the Golden Bears to knock off the Wildcats. 

Josie Lakosky led the Wildcat offense with four goals and one assist. Five other 'Cats each found a goal of their own, including Maddi Bast, Taylor Priestley, Laine Stanton, Abby Sisson, and Hannah Jabas. Northern goalkeeper Lauren Esposito made 12 saves during the match, allowing eight goals, while goalkeeper Zoe Montgomery made two saves and had five goals against. 

The Golden Bears held an advantage in shots, 33-23, with 27 of its shots being on goal versus Northern's 20. Though Northern won 13 draw controls compared to Concordia's 11, the Bears beat NMU in ground balls 20-18. The 'Cats had 21 turnovers vs. Concordia's 16, in which the Bears caused 10 and Northern caused four. 

NMU will now head to St. Joseph, where the 'Cats will face the College of Saint Benedict on Sunday, April 6, at 1 p.m.


How It Happened
The Wildcats started off winning the first draw control, but the Golden Bears found the first goal, putting the ball in the back of the net within two minutes of the first quarter. Just 40 seconds later, Concordia put in another, leading the game 2-0. With some back-and-forth play, Lakosky pulled a spin move and drove inside the eight-meter to find Northern's first goal. With the score 2-1, Concordia scored two more goals to make it 4-1, but Lakosky found the back of the net again to keep the 'Cats in play. A strong Golden Bear defense, three big saves from Concordia's goalkeeper, and another goal ended the first quarter 5-2 Bears. 

Starting the second quarter off strong, Jabas added a goal of her own to the scoreboard, bringing the score differential back to two. Keeping the momentum, Stanton rushed inside to score a goal, making the score 5-4. With just under six minutes left, Bast ripped one from outside the eight-meter to level the scoreboard 5-5. In the final minute of the second, the Bears scored another, but in the last second, the 'Cats equalized the score once again with a quick goal from Priestley to make it 6-6. 

Coming into the third quarter, Lauren Esposito made a big save to keep the Golden Bears at bay. Four minutes in, Lakosky scores a hat-trick from a free-position goal, leading for the first time of the game 7-6. Another free-position goal from Lakosky puts the Green and Gold even further ahead, extending its lead differential by two goals. But four goals in a row from Concordia allowed them to retake the lead, ending the third quarter 10-8. 

A draw control from the Golden Bears in the fourth quarter led to back-to-back goals for Concordia, making it 12-8. Sisson found her first goal of the game one minute later, but Concordia continued to further their lead by finding the back of the net and putting them up by four. With the last nine minutes going scoreless for both teams, the game ended 13-9 Bears.