NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University women's lacrosse dropped a seesaw affair to the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 14-11, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest that unfolded across two dates on Sabine Field at Haynes Family Stadium.

Originally beginning on Mar. 20, the matchup was suspended with 3:19 remaining in the first quarter due to unsafe snowy conditions and resumed on Thursday, Apr. 16, under warm, humid, and sunny weather.

Five Cadets found the back of the net across the two-day contest, led by Athena Merck (West Yarmouth, Mass.), who scored four times.  Caitlyn Fielder (East Calais, Vt.) totaled four points on a hat trick and an assist, while Colby Magoon (Loudon, N.H.) added two goals and an assist for three points.  Sienna Caron (Griswold, Conn.) and Breanna Ricker (Laconia, N.H.) each contributed a goal, while Tori Jarvis (South Windsor, Conn.) and Vivian Buntin (Middlebury, Conn.) added assists.

The game's opening minutes on Mar. 20 saw Saint Joseph strike twice in the first 49 seconds of scoring action to take a 2-0 lead.  Norwich answered quickly, as Merck broke through with an unassisted goal before tying the contest on a woman-up finish off a Buntin assist.  Fielder then scored on a free-position shot with 3:19 left in the first quarter to give the Cadets a 3-2 advantage just before the game was halted because of weather.

When play resumed Thursday, Saint Joseph quickly regained momentum.  The Blue Jays scored three goals in the opening 2:38 of the second quarter to retake control, pushing ahead, 5-3, before Merck answered with another unassisted tally to pull Norwich back within one.

Saint Joseph continued to pressure offensively, adding three more goals over the remainder of the quarter.  Norwich stayed within striking distance on a late score from Ricker off a Jarvis assist, but the visitors closed the half with two goals in the final 70 seconds to carry a 9-5 lead into the break.

"We looked tired today and were a step slow all over the field," said Head Coach Ian Thomas.  "We had a long, back-and-forth, physical battle on Tuesday night, and it showed today.  Kudos to USJ, they played well and stuck more shots than us.  We settled for a lot of early C quality shots on offense and USJ took advantage of their opportunities."

The Cadets mounted a strong response in the third quarter.  After Saint Joseph added the opening goal of the half, Caron began the Norwich push with a goal off a Fielder assist.  Fielder followed with an unassisted score, and Magoon added another just 29 seconds later to trim the deficit to 10-8.

Merck then buried a woman-up goal off a Magoon helper with 25 seconds remaining in the quarter, bringing Norwich within one entering the final frame.

"Even though today was not our best performance, we did not give up and played with incredible effort and resilience throughout the game," Thomas said.  "After digging ourselves into a big hole in the second quarter, we clawed back to make it a game again in the third.  Too many mistakes and cards in the fourth quarter allowed USJ to go on another run."

Saint Joseph answered early in the fourth, but Fielder struck again at the 9:22 mark to keep the Cadets within reach at 11-10.  The Blue Jays then seized a key stretch of the contest, converting on a pair of woman-up opportunities and adding another goal in between to open a 14-10 cushion.

Magoon capitalized on a woman-up chance of her own with 3:43 remaining, but that proved to be the final goal of the contest as Norwich was unable to complete the comeback.

Despite the loss, the Cadets turned in another strong defensive effort.  Norwich held a commanding 25-15 edge in ground balls and a 14-12 advantage in draw controls.

Abigail Kirrane (Lunenberg, Mass.) led the team with five ground balls, while Fielder, Magoon, Caron, and Izzy Sirois (Hartland, Vt.) added three apiece.  Buntin paced the draw circle with five controls, while Fielder, Ricker, and Lauren Labbe (Brunswick, Maine) each secured two.

Norwich also forced 20 caused turnovers on the day, highlighted by five from Kirrane.  Magoon, Caron, and Sirois each added three in a strong team effort on the defensive end.

"The effort was there today, our execution was not," Thomas said.  "We have a lot of lacrosse left to play this season and still can achieve all of our goals.  Champions respond and rebound from losses stronger than they were before.  Our best lacrosse is still ahead of us!"

The Cadets will remain at home for their next outing, hosting Dean College on Saturday, Apr. 18 at 1:00 p.m. on Sabine Field.  At halftime, Norwich will honor Caitlyn Fielder, Athena Merck, Bailey Ingala (West Hartford, Conn.), and Abigail Kirrane as part of the Senior Day festivities.