HARRISONBURG, Va. (March 15) – The Waynesburg University women's lacrosse team traveled south to Eastern Mennonite on Wednesday for a non-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) match. The Yellow Jackets got off to a strong start, but couldn't maintain momentum, as they fell 19-9 to the Monarchs.
 
EMU (2-4) opened a 2-0 lead after 9:38 of play, but Waynesburg (1-2) got on the board just before the end of the first quarter thanks to a goal by senior Tori Meiklejohn (Boonsboro, Md. / Boonsboro) with 46 seconds remaining in the period. The visitors carried the momentum of that tally into the second quarter, where they built a 3-2 edge thanks to goals by Meiklejohn and freshman Kerry Ryan (Timonium, Md. / Mercy).
 
Unfortunately, Eastern Mennonite posted the next four goals of the game to take a 6-3 lead with 5:55 left to play in the first half. Senior Eve O'Sullivan (Latrobe, Pa. / Greater Latrobe) broke up the run with her first of the day 41 seconds later. The Monarchs countered with six-straight tallies over the second and third quarters to build a 12-4 advantage with 27:22 left in regulation.
 
Ryan completed her first collegiate hat trick thanks to a pair of goals in the third that made the score 12-6. The visitors ended the quarter with another 6-0 surge that gave them an 18-6 lead.
 
Waynesburg ended the game on a high note by outscoring the opposition 3-1 over the final 15 minutes. Senior Rachel Caldwell (Ligonier, Pa. / Ligonier Valley), sophomore Sam Earnest (Honey Brook, Pa. / Conestoga Christian) and senior Alexis Shandor (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Baldwin) did the honors in the fourth quarter.
 
Caldwell added two assists to her stat sheet. Sophomore Anna Bradley (Bridgeville, Pa. / South Fayette) got the start in goal and made seven saves over 55:51 of work. Freshman Diana Gurecka (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Seton LaSalle) closed out the day between the pipes.
 
Waynesburg returns home on Saturday for another non-PAC match against Muskingum. Start time is scheduled for 1 p.m.