COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. -  A strong first half lifted the Ursinus College women's lacrosse team to a key 14-12 victory over Dickinson College on Saturday afternoon at Patterson Field.
 
 
With the victory, Ursinus improves to 5-6 overall and sit at 1-1 in Centennial Conference action. Meanwhile, the Red Devils fall to 5-6 on the season and open 0-2 in conference play. Senior Maeve Leonzi and sophomore Jaime Michaud led the Bears offense, recording three goals apiece. Michaud and senior Julia McCann each added four draw controls, while senior Andrea Hook and junior Abby Burkholder forced two caused turnovers each.
 
 
Ursinus grabbed an early 1-0 lead at the 14:19-mark as McCann found Leonzi for her first goal of the game. McCann drew two defenders in, allowing Leonzi to leak free in front of the goal for her 27th score of the season. After a Dickinson goal, Ursinus responded with back-to-back scores to recapture a 3-1 advantage with 5:02 remaining in the first quarter. Sophomore Ryann Buchner connected on the Bears' second goal, while Leonzi assisted sophomore Dana DeSiato during a woman up opportunity to give Ursinus a two-goal lead. Ursinus closed out the remainder of the first period on a 2-0 run to increase their lead to 5-1 heading into the second stanza. Michaud tallied a score at the 1:48-mark, with DeSiato adding her second of the contest with 52 seconds remaining in the period.
 
 
Ursinus carried the momentum into the second period as goals from McCann and senior Grace Lynch gave the Bears their largest lead at 7-1. Dickinson responded with three straight goals over the next three minutes of play to make the score, 7-4, with 7:31 remaining in the first half. After a Bears timeout, Ursinus closed out the first half on a 2-1 run to capture a 9-5 halftime lead. For the Bears, Lynch capitalized off a free-position opportunity, while DeSiato setup Leonzi for the final score of the first half.
 
 
Leonzi and McCann opened the second half by each recording a goal to extend the Ursinus advantage to 11-5 at the 11:54-mark. Dickinson responded with four of the final five goals in the period to cut their deficit to 12-9 entering the final quarter. Michaud scored the lone goal for the Bears as she split two defenders, before firing towards the far post for her 17th goal of the season. Ursinus amped up the offensive pressure to open the final period, recording three straight shot attempts, until a goal by junior Meghan Vizian stretched the Bears' lead to 13-9. The Red Devils fought back cutting their deficit to as low as two, but Ursinus held on for the 14-12 victory.
 
 
Dickinson held a 28-26 advantage in shots, a 17-13 edge in draw controls, while Ursinus totaled a 14-12 lead in ground balls. The Bears converted on 78.9% (15-of-19) of their clear attempts, while Dickinson earned a clear percentage of 87.5% (14-of-16). Dickinson's Peyton Vandorpe earned the victory in goal, recording eight saves. First-year Allison McAnally suffered the loss for Ursinus, totaling eight saves in 60 minutes of action.
 
 
The Bears return to action on Wednesday, April 2nd returning for a road matchup against Washington College at 4 p.m.