Erie, PA – Mercyhurst Women's Lacrosse battled to a thrilling 12-10 victory over NEC opponent Le Moyne College in a game that saw momentum swing back and forth before the Lakers pulled away in the final minutes.

How it Happened

Le Moyne struck first to open the scoring, but Mercyhurst responded each time the Dolphins tried to pull ahead. Emma Cimino got the Lakers on the board with the equalizer at 1-1. After another Le Moyne goal, Marlee Antinora answered back to tie things up again. The back-and-forth battle continued as Whitley Easton netted two goals, matching Le Moyne's efforts to keep the score knotted at 3-3 and then 4-4 heading into the second quarter.

The Dolphins opened the second quarter with a goal to take a brief 5-4 lead, but the Lakers answered once more. Brynn Hall tied it at 5-5, and Amanda Bailey followed with a go-ahead goal, sending Mercyhurst into halftime with a 6-5 advantage.

The third quarter belonged to Le Moyne early on, as they scored three unanswered goals to reclaim the lead at 8-6. Easton stepped up again, cutting the deficit to one with her third goal of the game, but Le Moyne extended their lead to 9-7 before the end of the quarter.

Mercyhurst came out on fire in the final frame, launching a decisive comeback. Cimino started the run with a goal to bring the Lakers within one, followed by a game-tying score from Meghan Nasman. Moments later, Ellie Schau found the back of the net to give Mercyhurst a 10-9 lead with just over seven minutes to play. Le Moyne responded with a goal to even the score at 10-10, but the Lakers weren't finished. Cimino completed her hat trick to give Mercyhurst the lead once again, and Nasman sealed the win with her second goal of the afternoon, securing a 12-10 victory in an electric matchup.

Notable Performances

• Whitley Easton led the charge for Mercyhurst with a nine-point performance, scoring three goals and dishing out six assists in a dominant showing.

• Emma Cimino notched a hat trick of her own with three goals, including two in the fourth quarter.

• Meghan Nasman scored twice, including the game-tying and game-sealing goals in the final frame.

• Marlee Antinora, Amanda Bailey, Ellie Schau, and Brynn Hall each contributed with one goal apiece.

• This could not have been done without the success of goalkeeper Maggie Allen, who racked up 10 saves on the day. 

Up Next

The Lakers hit the road to take on FDU in Teaneck, NJ on Saturday, April 12 at 12:00 PM.