BETHANY, W.Va. (Apr. 2) – The Saint Vincent College women's lacrosse team bounced back with a Presidents' Athletic Conference road victory Thursday evening, defeating Bethany College, 12-9.
 
The Bearcats improved to 7-3 overall and 3-2 in PAC play, while the Bison fell to 6-5 overall and 2-4 in the conference.
 
Saint Vincent scored the game's first three goals and led 3-0 less than seven minutes into the opening quarter.
 
 Melanie Seefeldt opened the scoring at the 11:31 mark, Chloe Herring followed 43 seconds later, and Katie Smith added a man-up goal off a Seefeldt assist with 8:25 left in the first.
 
Bethany answered with the final three goals of the quarter, however, as Janez Matthews, Tatum Severe and Emily Wenger each scored to send the game into the second period tied 3-3.
 
Bethany briefly grabbed its only lead of the night just 58 seconds into the second quarter when Hayden Chickerell scored off an Emily Wenger assist to make it 4-3. The Bearcats responded immediately, as Herring tied the game at 4-4 just 30 seconds later. From there, Saint Vincent regained control behind a key 4-2 stretch.
 
Seefeldt scored off a Carolina Walters assist, Valeria Hurtado found the back of the net off a Seefeldt helper, and Seefeldt later added an unassisted goal before Walters scored with 2:46 left in the half.
 
Bethany got second-quarter goals from Matthews, Chickerell and Severe, but Saint Vincent still carried an 8-7 advantage into halftime.
 
 
The Bearcats created separation in the third quarter, holding Bethany scoreless over the entire 15-minute frame. Herring opened the second-half scoring at 13:35 off Seefeldt's fourth assist of the night, and Smith followed with an unassisted goal at 10:26 to extend the SVC lead to 10-7.
 
Bethany trimmed the margin to two early in the fourth on an Emily Wenger free-position goal, but Saint Vincent answered with back-to-back scores to push the lead to its largest point of the game.
 
Cara Dupilka scored off a Walters assist at 10:31, and Smith added her third goal of the night just 79 seconds later for a 12-8 edge. Bethany got one back on a Catharina Recabeitia player-up goal with 2:37 remaining, but the Bearcats closed out the 12-9 win from there.
 
Seefeldt led the Saint Vincent offense with seven points on three goals and four assists, while Smith and Herring each scored three times. Walters added a goal and two assists, and Hurtado and Dupilka each chipped in a goal.
 
Defensively, Cassidy Rega played all 60 minutes in goal and made four saves to earn the win. Herring paced the Bearcats with four ground balls, while Smith and Walters each collected three.
 
Saint Vincent finished the game with advantages in shots, 28-19, shots on goal, 17-12, ground balls, 19-11, and forced Bethany into 27 turnovers.
 
Bethany controlled the draw circle, 17-6, led by seven draw controls from Emily Wenger and five from Janez Matthews, but Saint Vincent overcame that edge with more efficient offense and a strong third quarter. The Bearcats also converted their lone free-position goal and finished 7-for-10 on clears.
 
Saint Vincent returns to action on Tuesday, April 7, with a 5 p.m. PAC road matchup at Grove City.