NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University women's lacrosse team nearly overcame a 10-goal deficit but fell just shy of the mark, enduring their first loss of the season in a 16-13 defeat to Keene State College in a non-conference battle on Sabine Field on Friday afternoon.

Caitlyn Fielder (East Calais, Vt.) and Ellie Moriarty (Stowe, Vt.) both enjoyed four-point performances, as Fielder racked up a pair of goals and two helpers, while Moriarty dished out four assists.  Julia Gutke (Stockholm, Sweden), Quinn Mustone (Medford, Mass.), and Julia Proto (Orange, Conn.) all ripped in three goals apiece to record hat tricks on the night.

Gianna Pesce (Williamstown, Mass.) and Athena Merck (West Yarmouth, Mass.) both also tallied points, with Pesce splitting a goal and an assist, while Merck potted a goal to round out the Cadet scorers.

The Owls erupted out of the gates furiously, rolling to a 10-0 lead within the opening 14 minutes.  Keene State appeared to be in control, but the Cadets had a prompt answer to open the second, as Moriarty found Pesce for the first of four straight Norwich tallies to trim the Owl advantage to six.

Keene State rallied for two consecutive goals, yet Norwich again responded, as Fielder ripped in a goal before Gutke converted on two man-up opportunities to continue to dig into the Owls' lead.

A back-and-forth sequence saw Keene State double up on Norwich, 16-8, with 8:47 remaining in the contest.  The Cadets did not go quietly, as a man-up goal from Mustone ignited an unanswered five-goal stretch by the hosts, but time ultimately ran short on Norwich's comeback hopes.

The Cadets were nearly perfect on clear attempts, going 13-15 while securing 17 draw controls, including a 6-1 advantage over the Owls in the third frame.  Celine Juneau (Chazy, N.Y.) was the catalyst for Norwich's success at midfield, earning nine wins on draws.

Norwich was ferocious defensively, generating 18 caused miscues, with Fielder securing four forced turnovers to round out her stat line that included three ground balls and nine draw controls.

Bailey Manning-Ingala (West Hartford, Conn.) experienced her first loss between the pipes, despite still racking up an impressive seven saves in 60 minutes of play.

The Cadets will step away from action for over a week, returning to the field on Saturday, Mar. 8, for their Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener at Dean College at 1:00 p.m.  Norwich then returns home on Thursday, Mar. 13, to host intrastate rival Vermont State University Castleton at 7:00 p.m.