VESTAL, N.Y. - The Binghamton University women's lacrosse team fell in heartbreaking fashion to Mount St. Mary's Saturday afternoon by a score of 9-8 in overtime. The Bearcats (0-3) stuck with the Mountaineers (3-0) and led for a majority of the second half, but relinquished the final three goals (one in OT).

"Today was another tough loss, but one that showed true grit and heart from our players, head coach Stephanie Allen said.  We lost a couple of battles to uncontrollables and our response was much improved today from our past two games. We are going to continue to hold ourselves to a high standard and have discipline in the details - this team is relentless and will find that win soon." 

Alyssa Sanchez scored twice to lead the team offensively on the afternoon, followed by a goal and assist by both Paige Volkmann and Emily Masera. Seniors Olivia Batista and Alissa Franze added a goal apiece, and freshmen Isabella Meli and Jamie Golderman rounded out the scoresheet.

The Bearcats opened up the scoring in the first half with a goal by Sanchez to take a 1-0 lead. The Mountaineers responded with a goal of their own, but Batista answered back just moments later. The remainder of the half saw both defenses thrive, but the Bearcats offense stalled and the team found itself down 4-3 at the break.

Binghamton dominated the early stages of the second half, scoring five of the first six goals to take a 7-5 lead. Masera kicked things off to tie it up, and Franze put the Bearcats on top. Leading 8-6, the defense held strong for a majority of the second frame, but surrendered two goals in the final minutes to send the game to overtime, where Mount St. Mary's Erin Anderson tucked away the game winner.

Defensively, the Bearcats were led by Brianna Distler's three caused turnovers and Sanchez's four ground balls. Goalie Taylor Passuello also forced two turnovers and made 11 saves.

Up Next
The Bearcats hit the road for a matchup with Lafayette on Wednesday. Opening draw is set for 6 p.m.