Millersville, Pa. – After trailing Lock Haven for the majority of the game, the Millersville women's lacrosse team staged a valiant second half comeback effort on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately for the Marauders, the nationally-ranked Bald Eagles thwarted the comeback attempt and dealt Millersville an 8-6 defeat.

Trailing by a score of 6-3 to open the second half, the Black & Gold scored three-straight goals and held the Bald Eagles scoreless to even the score. The first two of the three goals scored were by Bridget Hufnagle who finished the match with a team-leading four strikes. The tying goal occurred at the 13:14 mark on a fabulous fast break effort by Kristen Butzner who netted her second colligate goal.

With the score tied at six, Lock Haven's leading goal scorer Jessica Pandolf earned a free-position chance with just under seven minutes remaining in the match and was able to convert by beating Millersville goalkeeper Shannon Davis in the five-hole. The Bald Eagles won the ensuing draw control and were able to add an insurance effort via midfielder Kelly Hamilton who put the visitors up 8-6, forcing Coach Mia Hall into a timeout with a minute left to play.

Senior Hannah Vogel won the draw control out of the timeout and flicked a pass to teammate Sabrina Fusco who earned a free-position opportunity with less than 30 seconds remaining in the match. Fusco backed out of the free-position and set up for a shot attempt, but a Lock Haven defender stepped up to block the shot and the ground ball was scooped up by the Bald Eagles who ran out the final seconds of the game to complete the 8-6 win.

Millersville (5-7, 2-5 PSAC) forced the Bald Eagles into its second-straight last minute victory. Freshman Shannon Davis made several clutch saves for the Marauders as the goalkeeper finished the match with 11 stops. Davis faced 25 shots from the visitors, while her 11 saves marked the eighth time this season in which she has saved 10 or more shots.

Lock Haven (10-0, 7-0) remained perfect on the season as senior Jessica Pandolf was sensational for the Bald Eagles, netting four goals, five draw controls, and five groundballs. Pandolf recorded a hat-trick in the first half to spark the LHU offensive attack.

The Marauders scored the first goal of the match as they showed a patient offensive attack creating an outstanding opportunity for Sabrina Fusco. The freshman midfielder beat Lock Haven keeper Chrissy Baffuto for her 33rd goal of the season.

Millersville outscored the Bald Eagles 3-2 in the second stanza as its offensive patience prevailed. The nine shots taken marked a season-low for the Marauders, but eight of the nine were on target. LHU finished the match with a 21-19 advantage in ground balls.

Millersville returns to action Tuesday, April 14 when it travels to Gannon for a pivotal PSAC showdown. Game time is slated for 4 p.m.