COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. -  A 6-2 run to open the fourth quarter proved to be the difference as the Ursinus College women's lacrosse team fell to Rowan University 16-11 on Wednesday evening.


 
Sophomore Maeve Leonzi led the Bears with four goals behind seven shots on goal while first-year Ashley Noto earned a hattrick in her collegiate debut and senior Reilly Morgan added two goals. Noto finished with a team-high three assists while classmates Mia Gifford and Skyler Bogdan each added assists in their collegiate debuts. On defense, senior Julie Cherneskie collected five caused turnovers and three ground balls while first-year Sophia Curtis added two caused turnovers and two ground balls.


 
The Profs won the opening draw control and jumped on the board first with back-to-back goals from Molly Green to take a 2-0 advantage at the 12:56-mark. Ursinus answered with a goal from first-year Meghan Vizian in her collegiate debut at the 9:30-mark to cut the Bears deficit to one. After a Profs goal, the Bears responded with back-to-back goals from Leonzi and Noto to tie the score with 5:26 remaining in the quarter. Rowan added two scores over the next two minutes as Green netted her third of the game and Elaina Corson scored on a free position shot. Each netminder was credited with a save over the final three minutes to keep the score 5-3 after the opening stanza.


 
The Profs opened the second quarter with back-to-back goals over the first three minutes to extend their lead to four. Green scored her fourth of the game on a woman up opportunity and Erin Renshaw added her first goal of the season after capitalizing on a Bears turnover. With Ursinus trailing 7-4, the Bears stood tall over the next five minutes stopping three Profs shots including two saves from Bear's senior goalkeeper Alexa Machado to keep the deficit at four. With under eight minutes remaining in the half, Ursinus responded with three straight goals over the next four minutes to cut their deficit to one. The 3-0 run started with Gifford finding Reilly Morgan in front of the net for her first goal of the game. The Bears won the ensuining draw control and converted just a minute later when senior Emma Wood found the back of the net off a pass from first-year Skylar Bogdan. Ursinus added their final goal of the half at the 3:42-mark as Morgan scored off an assist from Noto to make the score 7-6.


 
Each goalie opened the second half with a save, before Rowan's Jamie Cutrera capitalized on a free position attempt in front of the net with a goal to extend the Profs lead to two. With the score 8-6 at the 9:20-mark of the third period, goalkeeper Alexa Machado denied three straight Prof opportunities. Machado and the Bears denied back-to-back free positions shots and the post kept the deficit at two. With 8:03 remaining in the period, Leonzi earned a free position shot in front of the Profs netminder, but her shot was saved by Rowan's Reilly Shaup.


 
After a yellow card on Rowan, a Bears turnover allowed Rowan to extend their advantage to three as Julianna Corson scored her second goal of the game with a dodge past the Bears defense. Ursinus answered with a goal of their own as first-year Ahsley Noto found a cutting Leonzi in front of the net for her second goal of the contest to make the score 9-7. The Bears cut the deficit to one as sophomore Julia McCann won the ensuing draw control and Leonzi scored one again after cutting through the Profs defense for a low shot past the Profs goaltender. Ursinus tied the game at nine a piece with Leonzi's fourth goal of the game with 3:24 remaining in the quarter. After a Profs timeout, they earned a free position shot as Molly Green found Elaina Corson cutting infront of the net to regain a 10-9 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
 

 
In the fourth quarter, Rowan collected the opening draw control, but the Bears defense stood fall forcing a turnover. After a successful clear, another Bears shot from Noto rung off the goal post to keep the deficit at one. Rowan's Corson capitalized on a Bears yellow card and was awarded a draw control on the opposite end and snuck her shot past Machado to increase the Profs lead to two. Machado stopped a Profs shot after the draw control and Noto cut the Bears deficit to one on the offensive end as she spun past a Profs defender and sent a low sizzling shot past Rowan's defense. With the score 11-10, Rowan's Trish Gillen snuck a bouncing shot past the Bears defense to give the Profs a two-goal advantage with 7:30 to play. Rowan used a 5-1 run over the final nine minutes to action to secure the 16-11 victory.


 
The Profs held a 37-23 advantage in shots and a 22-16 edge in ground balls. Rowan with a 87.5% (14-of-16) efficiency on clears while holding Ursinus to just 66.7% (16-of-24).


 
Machado recorded the loss in net for the Bears after being credited with 14 saves, while Rowan's netminder Reilly Shaup collected six saves in her season debut. Molly Green led the Profs with four goals while Erin Renshaw and Julianna Corson each recorded three goals.
 


The Bears return to action on Saturday as they travel to Reading, Pennsylvania for a non-conference matchup with Albright College.