Collegeville, Pa. – Junior attackers Meg Gesner (Severna Park, Md./Severn) and Abbey Harrison (Easton, Md./Easton) each recorded a hat trick as the St. Mary's College of Maryland women's lacrosse team won their fifth straight Friday afternoon. St. Mary's (5-0), who received votes in this week's IWLCA Division III Poll, picked up a 10-8 road win over the Ursinus College Bears.

Ursinus (3-2) netted two goals in eight seconds to cut its deficit in half and close the gap to 10-8 with 1:21 left in the game. St. Mary's won the ensuing draw control but then the two sides exchanged turnovers. The Seahawks finally possessed the ball with 47 seconds remaining before turning the ball over one last time with 15 seconds to go. UC gained possession with 12 ticks on the clock but threw the ball away as time expired.

Senior captain Shelby Newman (Hampstead, Md./Manchester Valley) paced the Seahawks with a game-best five points on two goals and three assists while Gesner and Harrison followed suit with three goals each.

The Bears drew first blood but Newman notched one and Harrison scored twice in a 3-0 run to give St. Mary's a 3-1 lead at 8:06. First-year attacker Abby Goldstein (Wynnewood, Pa./Lower Merion) had a hand in the final two goals of the half as Ursinus found the back of the net two times in a 28-second span. Goldstein tallied a goal and an assist to knot the game at 3-3 at 7:11.

The 3-3 score held until halftime as the defensive battle raged on for the final seven minutes of the first half. The two teams combined for seven turnovers and only two shots.

First-year midfielder Emily DiGiorgio (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West) was Ursinus' leading scorer with three goals off the bench while Goldstein added a goal and two assists and first-year midfielder Bridget Sherry (Swarthmore, Pa./Strath Haven) chipped in two goals.

St. Mary's opened up the second half with three straight as Newman notched a goal and an assist in the run which gave the Seahawks a 6-3 advantage at 27:38. DiGiorgio struck for her second of the day at 24:12 to keep Ursinus within two. St. Mary's scored a pair in less than two minutes to double its lead at 21:31. The Bears went on to outscore the Seahawks, 4-2, in the final 20 minutes but the rally fell short.

Ursinus outshot the Seahawks, 20-17, but St. Mary's outhustled the Bears, 21-18, in ground balls behind a game-best four loose ball pickups from Newman and junior defender Mackenzie Rayburn (Bel Air, Md./John Carroll). UC also earned the advantage in draw controls, 11-9, as Sherry grabbed a game-high four draws.

Senior captain Kayla Dunn (Rockville, Md./Good Counsel) had five save and two ground balls in the win while senior Margaret Philbin (Danbury, Conn./Ridgefield) turned away four shots.

The Seahawks are now headed to San Juan, Puerto Rico to take on Guilford College on Monday, March 14 at 4:00 p.m. and Washington College on Wednesday, March 16 at 10:30 a.m. 

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