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WASHINGTON, Pa. (April 30) - The Saint Vincent women's lacrosse team lost 13-11 to top-seeded Washington & Jefferson in the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference Championship game. 

The contest was back and forth for the majority of the first half, as the teams exchanged scores. The host Presidents scored 13 seconds in to take a 1-0 advantage. However, sophomore Maggie Nelson answered back quickly, scoring a minute later off a pass from sophomore Katie Stallings, tying the game at 1-1. 

After W&J scored another goal, Nelson came right back again with her second of the contest, making it 2-2 with 20:16 left in the first half. W&J scored a man-up goal after SVC was charged with a yellow card. Junior Sarah Wallerstedt responded with a goal off a slick pass from Nelson, putting the score at 3-3 with 18:18 remaining in the half. 

The Presidents used back-to-back goals to take the first multi-goal lead of the contest for either team, at 5-3 with 14:31 left in the first. 

That is when the Bearcats took control for the majority of the remainder of the first half. SVC rattled off five straight goals, pulling in front 8-5 to give the Green and Gold its first lead of the match. Four different Bearcats scored during the run. The last two scores during the run came from Stallings, who continued her strong finish to the season, putting SVC on top 8-5 with 4:25 left in the opening half. W&J recorded the final goal of the half to cut their deficit to 8-6 and stop the Bearcats' momentum. 

W&J scored five of the first six goals in the second half, in just eight minutes of action, taking a 11-9 lead with 22:28 to play. Stallings got the Bearcats back within a single goal, scoring off a pass from Nelson, making it 11-10 at the 13:02 mark. W&J tallied the next two goals to push the lead back to three at 13-10 with 7:34 left. Neither team scored over the next five-plus minutes, as W&J tried to milk the clock. 

Freshman Naomi Schwaiger scored an unassisted goal with 1:40, bringing the Bearcats back within two goals. SVC had a few chances to get closer but the Presidents held on to take the title. 

Despite the loss, Saint Vincent actually out-shot W&J by a 35-30 margin, including a 23-22 edge in shots on goal. W&J also committed 30 turnovers, while SVC had 25 miscues. Saint Vincent held a 37-32 edge in ground balls. The big difference came in draw controls, where the Presidents had a 17-9 advantage. 

Nelson led a well-rounded offensive attack for Saint Vincent, tallying a team-high five points (three goals, two assists). Nelson finished her record breaking season with a single-season record 71 goals, a mark which led all ORLC players. Nelson finished 2016 with 96 points, which was 11 more than the next closest player in the conference. Through two seasons, Nelson has 137 career goals.  

Stallings added four points (three goals, one assist). Schwaiger and Katie Uhring chipped in two goals each. Wallerstedt led the Bearcats with a game-high six ground balls, while also gaining five draw controls and causing two turnovers. Jess Heuler, Kelsey McMillen and Helena Shoplik, all seniors, each picked up four ground balls. Freshman Maria Franey made nine saves over 60 minutes in net for the Bearcats. 

Nelson, Stallings, Schwaiger and Franey all were named members of the All-ORLC Tournament Team, the league announced following the tournament. 

Saint Vincent finishes 2016 at 8-10 overall. W&J closed at 13-4 overall.