Playing with the same ferocity as the snow that was falling throughout the game, the women's lacrosse team stayed strong in their home opener but their effort was not enough to prevent the Eagles from losing 8-6 to the Drexel Dragons.
The game started slow for AU, as Drexel jumped out to an early two-point lead by scoring goals only 45 seconds apart at the 22:29 mark. The Eagles finally got on the scoreboard thanks to a tally by senior Jackie Lane, to cut the deficit in half with 14 minutes remaining in the opening half.
However, this would be the last scoring for the Eagles before the halftime break, as Drexel scored two more goals before the whistle to take a commanding 4-1 lead.
The second half did not start out much better for AU, as Drexel scored two more goals out of the break to go up by a score of 6-1. The two teams traded goals to push the Drexel lead to 7-2 midway through the second half.
Lane's team-leading second and third goals of the game completed her personal hat trick and brought the Eagles back into the match, cutting the Dragons' margin to 7-4 with 8:24 remaining in the game.
The Eagles' rally continued two minutes later when seniors Brittany Finnegan and Lane's twin sister, Lauren, each scored their only goals of the game to make it a one-goal contest with 3:38 to go in the match.
This would be as close as the Eagles got, as Drexel added an insurance goal with 1:40 to go to seal the 8-6 victory.
Despite the loss, AU senior goaltender Kristine Vida stopped 11 Dragon shots on goal.
The Eagles will look to pick up their first victory of the season when they return to action at Davidson on Saturday.
