NORTHFIELD, Vt. - In a crucial Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) battle between two teams jockeying for position in the league standings, the Norwich University women's lacrosse team came out on top Tuesday evening, edging New England College, 16-15, in a back-and-forth thriller under the lights and through heavy fog on Sabine Field at Haynes Family Stadium.

Six Cadets found the back of the net in the victory, led by a five-point effort from Caitlyn Fielder (East Calais, Vt.), who scored four times and added an assist.  Colby Magoon (Loudon, N.H.) and Caitlin Slider (Thetford Center, Vt.) each turned in four-point performances, with Magoon totaling a hat trick and a helper while Slider posted two goals and two assists.  Athena Merck (West Yarmouth, Mass.) added another hat trick, Vivian Buntin (Middlebury, Conn.) recorded two goals and an assist, and Breanna Ricker (Laconia, N.H.) chipped in a pair of goals.  Sophia Albright (East Dummerston, Vt.) also contributed an assist.

"What a game!," said Head Coach Ian Thomas.  "I'm so proud of our grit and mental fitness throughout tonight's game.  That was a full four-quarter battle between two scrappy, physical lacrosse teams.  This game could have gone either way, and we made more plays in the fourth quarter to seal the win."

After more than three minutes of scoreless back-and-forth play to begin the night, Norwich struck first on Buntin's opening goal off a Slider feed.  The Pilgrims answered just 28 seconds later, setting the tone for a tightly contested affair.  Norwich regained momentum midway through the quarter on consecutive tallies from Fielder and Merck in a 70-second span, only to see New England College answer with two quick goals of its own.

The Cadets closed the opening frame with a strong push, capitalizing on a pair of woman-up chances.  Ricker first finished a Fielder assist before Slider found the back of the net off an Albright feed, giving Norwich a 5-3 lead.  The Pilgrims trimmed the margin to one in the closing minutes of the quarter.

Norwich looked poised to create some separation early in the second, as Magoon scored just 92 seconds into the period and Fielder and Merck followed with goals 27 seconds apart to extend the lead to 8-4.  New England College refused to fade, rallying with four straight goals in a two-minute burst to knot the score once again.  The teams traded goals over the final six minutes, with Slider converting off a Magoon assist, and headed into halftime deadlocked at 9-9.

"Lacrosse is called the medicine game in Native American communities because we generate the gift of healing and joy from playing," Thomas said.  "We talked about healing our team from our performance last Friday.  We needed a game like this to get back to our identity.  Everyone stepped up tonight and played a great lacrosse game against a very strong NEC team."

The Cadets again came out firing to start the third quarter, with Magoon and Fielder scoring the first two goals of the half.  Once again, however, the Pilgrims answered with two goals to even the contest.  Norwich responded quickly when Merck scored off a Buntin assist just 18 seconds after New England College's 11th goal, and Ricker followed a little over a minute later to restore a two-goal cushion.  The Pilgrims added another score in the closing minutes of the third, sending Norwich into the fourth with a 13-12 advantage.

The Cadets found a little breathing room to open the final quarter, as Slider connected with Buntin before Magoon added another goal a minute later to make it 15-12.  New England College cut into the lead with a goal five minutes into the frame, but Fielder answered midway through the quarter to restore a two-goal edge.

The Pilgrims continued to press, scoring twice more to trim the deficit to one, but Norwich's defense stood tall down the stretch, forcing critical turnovers and keeping New England College off the board over the final four minutes to preserve the win.

"It speaks to our team culture and resiliency to come away from a back-and-forth battle like this with a win," Thomas said.  "We have come a long way this season and are starting to master our systems.  Our focus shifts to rest and recovery as we have a very quick turnaround and another critical league game in two days against USJ.  Roll Wick!"

Bailey Ingala (West Hartford, Conn.) turned in another strong performance in goal, making 10 saves across 60 minutes to earn her eighth win of the season while adding two ground balls.

Though the teams were largely even offensively, Norwich made a significant impact on the ground, holding a 25-15 edge in ground balls.  Fielder and Abigail Kirrane (Lunenburg, Mass.) led the way with five apiece, while Magoon scooped up four.

Defensively, the Cadets forced 12 caused turnovers, highlighted by three from Fielder.  Norwich also found key success in the draw circle, where Fielder paced the team with four draw controls while Ricker and Buntin added three each.

The Cadets will continue their three-game homestand with a quick turnaround on Thursday, Apr. 16, hosting the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) at 4:00 p.m. on Sabine Field.  Thursday's contest will resume Norwich's suspended game against USJ from Mar. 20, picking up with 3:19 remaining in the first quarter and the Cadets leading, 3-2.  Norwich will then welcome Dean College on Saturday, Apr. 18, for Senior Day.