Early lead slips away as WLAX winning streak ends

ORANGE, Calif.- Despite leading early in the game, the Chapman University women's lacrosse team lost to Fredonia (NY), 13-10 on Saturday night at Wilson Field. The Panthers snapped a four-game winning streak with their first non-conference loss of the season.

An early goal from freshman attacker Hayden Stein gave the Panthers a 1-0 advantage, which they held for the first eight minutes of play. The Blue Devils evened the score on a goal by Kaila Fox, just to see the Panthers strike again with two straight goals from junior Allie Kontny.

The Panthers' 3-1 advantage proved to be their largest of the game as Fredonia mounted a 5-1 run, sparked by a combined four goals from Katie Glagolev and Marissa Cussins, giving the Blue Devils a 6-4 lead entering the break.

The Blue Devils began the second half much like they ended the first, widening their lead with a 4-1 run that included two more goals from Cussins, who scored a game-high five times.

Proving they would not go away easy, the Panthers fought back for three straight goals, including two from junior midfielder Victoria Wilkinson that tightened the Fredonia lead at 10-8. Chapman was unable to shrink the Blue Devil lead any further as late goals from Wilkinson and Abbey Messmer proved futile in the 13-10 loss.

Wilkinson led the Panthers with four goals while goalie Anjali Thota collected seven saves in a losing effort. Senior Gabby David played solid defense, tallying a team-high three ground balls.

The Panthers will complete the non-conference portion of their schedule with a home matchup against visiting Linfield College on Monday at 12 p.m.

Box score: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/wlax/2012-13/boxscores/20130323_2xmo.xml

by Ryan Cavinder
Sports Information Assistant

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