WAYNESBURG, Pa. (March 12) – The Waynesburg University women's lacrosse team hosted Mount Saint Joseph on Sunday for a frigid non-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) match at John F. Wiley Stadium. The Yellow Jackets outscored the Lions over the final three quarters of the game, but it wasn't enough to overcome a 7-1 first-quarter deficit. When the final whistle was blown, Mount Saint Joseph left town with a 12-9 win.
 
The Lions (1-2) scored the first two goals of the game, before Waynesburg (1-1) found the back of the net with 12:17 remaining in the opening quarter. Senior Rachel Caldwell (Ligonier, Pa. / Ligonier Valley) did the honors.
 
Unfortunately, the visitors scored the final five goals of the period and looked like they were going to make quick work of the host squad. However, Waynesburg had different plans as it went to work chipping away at the Lions' lead.
 
The Jackets dominated quarter number two and outscored the opposition 3-0 over that 15-minute period. Senior Eve O'Sullivan (Latrobe, Pa. / Greater Latrobe), senior Alexis Shandor (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Baldwin) and sophomore Sam Earnest (Honey Brook, Pa. / Conestoga Christian) all found the back of the net and by the time halftime came around, Waynesburg trailed by just three points (7-4).
 
That deficit shrunk to two when Caldwell posted her second of the day 3:33 into the third quarter to make the score 7-5. Unfortunately, Mt. St. Joseph scored three of the final four goals of the period to move ahead 10-6 heading into the final 15 minutes of action.
 
Back-to-back tallies by the Lions to open the fourth made the score 12-6, but Waynesburg wasn't ready to give up the fight just yet.
 
The Yellow Jackets scored the final three goals of the game to cut their deficit in half. Shandor, O'Sullivan and Earnest all split the pipes over the stretch run of the game, but that was as close as the home team came to completing the comeback, as neither squad scored over the final 2:44 of play.
 
Shandor paced Waynesburg in total points (4) with a pair of goals and a game-high two assists. Earnest recorded her second collegiate hat trick in as many games with a team-high three goals, while Caldwell and O'Sullivan each found the back of the net twice.
 
Sophomore goalie Anna Bradley (Bridgeville, Pa. / South Fayette) started and played 57:20 in net as the keeper of record. She made five saves on the day.
 
Waynesburg is back in action on Wednesday, March 15, when it plays its first road game of the year at Eastern Mennonite. Start time is scheduled for 4 p.m.