fRADNOR, PA – The Cabrini women's lacrosse team could not make its 9-5 halftime lead stick, as the visiting Div. II Jefferson University Rams controlled the second stanza to top the Cavaliers 15-11 in the season-opener for both teams.

Today marked a special day for the Blue and White, as it was 355 days ago that the University was forced to suspend its athletic schedules due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sophomore Dana Carlson led the Cavaliers with five goals, while junior Olivia Little paired a goal, three assists, three draw controls and two caused turnovers in her Cabrini debut.  

Sophomore Shea Neary added three ground balls, five draw controls and six caused turnovers. Classmate Sam Hamalak notched eight saves in the loss.

Freshman Victoria Zielke opened the game's scoring in the game's opening minute before the Rams evened the score on the first of freshman Erin Avanzato's four goals. Junior Taylor Dimmerling and Carlson marked the scoring column in a 32 second span to give the Cavaliers a 3-1 advantage.

The visitors responded with three straight tallies to even the score with 22:31 left in the opening half. Little's goal at the 20:39 mark put the Blue and White ahead and gave the home side the game's momentum.

Over the final 20 minutes of the half, Cabrini outscored the Rams 6-1, with Carlson notching three goals. The Cavaliers carried a seemingly comfortable 9-5 lead into the halftime break after a solid first half effort.

In the game's opening 30 minutes, the Blue and White outshot the visitors 21-12. Cabrini also forced the Rams into 12 turnovers and forced eight free position shots.

The Rams turned the tables as the game moved to the second half. Jefferson scored the first five goals of the stanza, taking a 10-9 lead with just south of 20 minutes to play.

Freshman Olivia Pace's second goal of the day evened the score with 15 minutes on the clock. Both teams went back and forth trying to regain control of the action, but junior Lexi Patania's tally gave the Rams the lead. It sparked a 3-0 spurt for the visitors, giving them control of the game.

Despite a late Carlson marker, the Cavaliers could not overcome their late deficit.

While the Blue and White controlled the first half statistics, the Rams reversed their fortunes in the second half. Jefferson outshot Cabrini 19-8 after the break and held the Cavaliers to just two draw controls and 5-12 successful clears.

Avanzato joined junior Erin Campbell with four goals, one more than senior Erin Eckert, while sophomore goaltender Melanie Goldstein matched Hamalak with eight saves.   

The Cavaliers will look for their first win of 2021 on Saturday, when they visit Rowan University. Game time is scheduled for 1pm in Glassboro, NJ.