On March 8, the St. Mary’s College of Maryland women’s lacrosse team fell to No. 21 Catholic University of America in a non-conference matchup with a final score of 12-8. This marks the second time this season that the Seahawks have lost to a nationally-ranked opponent.
The game started with St. Mary’s taking an early lead with a free position goal from sophomore attacker Hailey Betch just 33 seconds in. However, Catholic responded with three straight goals to take a 3-1 lead with 9:28 remaining in the first quarter. The two teams alternated scoring the next four goals, but Catholic held a 5-3 lead heading into the second quarter.
St. Mary’s closed the gap to one goal early in the second quarter, but a disallowed goal due to an illegal stick shifted the momentum in Catholic’s favor. The Cardinals took advantage of this and scored the next two goals, giving them a three-goal cushion. Catholic maintained their lead throughout the rest of the game, outshooting St. Mary’s 33-19 and controlling possession by winning 17 of 24 draw controls.
Despite the loss, St. Mary’s had strong performances from Betch, who finished the game with five points on four goals and one assist, and sophomore midfielder Colin Horton, who scored two goals. Catholic was led by Grace Hill, who scored three goals, and Kate Olsen, who contributed two goals and two assists.
St. Mary’s will face Dickinson in their next game on March 11.