AMHERST, MA – The No. 5 Amherst women's lacrosse team fell for the first time this season on Wednesday, April 1. Facing national-No. 3 Wesleyan in a battle of NESCAC heavyweights, the Mammoths took to Pratt field with their sights set on maintaining to their perfect record to date. However, despite holding a 5-4 lead at the half, the Cardinals went on a run in the final two quarters to drop to the Mammoths by a 7-9 score.
 
With the loss Amherst slips to 8-1 overall and 4-1 in the NESCAC while the Cardinals improve to 9-0 (5-0 NESCAC). Their midseason gauntlet continues Saturday, April 4, with the Mammoths shipping up to Maine to face No. 12 Colby in another nationally-ranked conference contest. The matchup against the Mules is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
 
* Amherst started the game hot, getting control of the opening draw and scoring on their first offensive possession. They worked the ball down low to Kate Becker, who found a cutting Emma Crotty diving towards the crease. The junior midfielder caught the pass and scored high stick side for the 1-0 advantage just 45 seconds into the game.

* The teams went back and forth before Wesleyan tied the game five minutes later. That is how the score would stay until 4:15 remaining in the frame. Emily Petersen netted a free-position attempt to put her team back in front, before running it back under a minute later, tallying her second from the hash to make it 3-1 heading into the second stanza.

* The defenses again took over at the beginning of the second, with neither team able to put one away until the 7:48 mark, when the Cardinals scored to narrow the Amherst led to 3-2. They potted once again to tie the game on a woman-up goal two minutes later.

* Petersen sealed a first half hat trick with her side's first goal of the quarter, reestablishing the lead with a quick-stick tally on a pass from Becker. A Wesleyan free-position again evened the score, but Clara Sosa had a response. She received a pass at the top of the 12-meter, put the first defender on the turf with a dodge, and backhanded the ball into the net through a sea of Cardinal defenders. That put Amherst up 5-4 at the half.

* Wesleyan opened the half with a 3-0 run though take a two-goal lead. First, they finished a woman-up free-position attempt to again knot the score before tallying again to take their first lead with 7:17 to go in the period. That became two a minute later, with the score sitting at 7-5 in favor of the Cardinals with just under six minutes to go in the third.

* The Mammoths found success after a big stop on the defensive end, turning a turnover off a Cardinals' shot clock violation into a goal on the other end. Again, it was Becker playing provider, hitting Bridget Darcy at the crease for the goal to cut the deficit to one. However, Wesleyan fired back to restore their two-goal advantage at 8-6 heading into the final quarter.
 
* That hole quickly became three with a Cardinals goal just 15 seconds into the fourth. The Mammoths, with their backs against the wall, got the stops they needed and found the back of the net. Darcy got her second, again from Becker on a quick stick, to narrow the margin to two for Wesleyan.
 
* That score held until the final minutes, and despite a last push from Amherst the Cardinals held on to win 9-7.

BY THE NUMBERS:
 
* Defense was the name of the game on the day, with the Mammoths winning the battle for loose balls 16-13 and causing 14 turnovers.
 
* The Mammoths' eight-game unbeaten start is the best since 2014, when they opened the season on a 14-game win streak.

* Lily Samoska made 5 saves in the loss.