The St. Lawrence University women's lacrosse team opened its 2013 season on Friday, hosting Brockport State at Hall-Leet Stadium. Though the Saints battled back from a five-goal deficit in the second half, their rally fell one goal short, falling to the Golden Eagles 9-8.

Brockport State (2-0) finished with a 23-20 advantage in shots, while both teams had 17 ground balls. Senior captain Brigid Hurley led St. Lawrence with a four-goal outing, while rookie Michaela Maybee added two tallies as well. Unfortunately for the home team, they committed 21 turnovers to Brockport's 13 and converted only 2-of-6 free position shots.

"I was pleased with the way we rallied back late in the second half," said St. Lawrence head coach Jodi Canfield. "Unfortunately we were unable to overcome our poor first half shooting and turnovers."

Both teams defenses were very sharp in the early-going, as neither team could get much going on the offensive end in the first half. The game's first goal came from St. Lawrence rookie Chloe Knapp at 18:24, but Brockport answered with three straight goals for a 3-1 advantage. Hurley would get the Saints within one before halftime, scoring her first with 1:39 remaining to send the game to intermission at 3-2.

Senior co-captain Stephanie O'Rourke would draw St. Lawrence even at 3-3 only 4:05 into the second half, but a three-goal run by the Golden Eagles would put the visitors back in control. Erin Featherstone, Alyssa Scordo and Nina Tassone picked up goals for Brockport, and though Hurley would get her team within two at 6-4 with 20:21 to play, another three-goal spurt by the Golden Eagles gave them a 9-4 lead with 15:30 to play.

The St. Lawrence offense, which had sputtered throughout the game, began to claw the home team back into the game. Hurley's third of the night came with 12:55 to go, and Maybee added back-to-back goals only 2:41 apart to make it 9-7. Hurley then scored an unassisted goal with 3:36 left, pulling the Saints within one at 9-8.

However, Brockport State showed great poise, winning the ensuing draw control and keeping possession despite constant pressure from the St. Lawrence defense. The visitors were able to retain the ball and run out the clock for the one-goal victory.

O'Rourke finished with a goal and two assists for the Saints, while Scordo had two tallies to lead Brockport. Sarah Brown added three assists for the Golden Eagles.

Sophomore goalie Adden Cunningham kept her team within striking distance in the second half, finishing with eight saves. Remle Harr closed with six stops between the pipes for the visitors.

St. Lawrence will head south to West Palm Beach, FL during the University's spring break. The Saints will play three games in the Sunshine State, with the first coming on Monday, March 11 at 5:00pm against Ohio Wesleyan.