LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis women's lacrosse team was even with NEC preseason favorite Mount St. Mary's until nearly halftime, but the Mountaineers surged ahead with a key stretch before the break and led the rest of the way in Wednesday's 18-9 Red Flash setback at DeGol Field.
 
Redshirt senior Livia Baker, senior Emileigh Scott and junior Autumn McHenry scored two goals each for Saint Francis, while freshman Danielle Hernandez scored her first career goal.
 
Mount St. Mary's 18, Saint Francis 9
Records: Saint Francis (0-3, 0-2 NEC); Mount St. Mary's (2-2, 1-0 NEC)
Location: DeGol Field (Loretto, Pa.)
 
COACH COYNE'S COMMENTS
"We knew going in that it was going to be a competitive game.  The Mount is very good so in order to win we had to play a complete 60 minutes. I thought we competed in the first half but we didn't generate enough quality scoring opportunities in the second half.  Our focus is to build on the positives from today's game so we are prepared to win our first conference game on Saturday."
 
KEY MOMENTS

• The game was tied 4-4 with three minutes remaining in the half before the Mountaineers scored three goals in a span of 1:45, moving in front 7-4 with a lead they would not relinquish.
• The Red Flash was within 7-5 before a 10-minute stretch in which the Mountaineers went on a 6-0 run to take a 13-5 advantage with 18:48 to go.

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Scott and Baker scored 16 seconds apart to give Saint Francis a 2-1 lead seven minutes into the contest.
• A McHenry goal tied the game at three and Baker knotted the contest 4-4 with 12:18 to play in the half.
• Mount St. Mary's took a 7-4 lead into the locker room and Saint Francis struck first with a goal from junior Catherine Russo pulling the Red Flash within 7-5 with 28:18 to go.
• The Mountaineers scored the next six goals before a tally from senior Amanda Heidt broke up the run and got the Red Flash back within seven at 13-6.
• Back-to-back goals from Scott and Hernandez cut the Mount advantage to 14-8 with 12 minutes remaining.
• The Mountaineers scored the next four before McHenry closed out the scoring with 2:41 to go.

STATS

• Scott, McHenry, and sophomore Lizzie Fisher each recorded an assist.
• Junior C.C. Courter tallied two caused turnovers.
• Saint Francis was 3-for-6 on free-position shots.
• The Mountaineers held a 19-9 advantage on the draw.
• Mount St. Mary's recorded an assist on 12 of its 17 non-free position goals. Saint Francis assisted on three of six.
• Junior Elyssa Enrique matched her career-high with 11 saves.

GAME NOTES

• Saint Francis drops to 0-19 all-time against Mount St. Mary's. The Red Flash will look for its first win over the Mountaineers when the teams meet again April 21 in Emmitsburg.

UP NEXT 
The Red Flash continues its homestand Saturday when Sacred Heart visits DeGol Field. The contest will begin at 1 p.m. and can be seen on NEC Front Row. Attendance is limited to Saint Francis student-athlete guests and holders of an active Saint Francis ID.
 
Follow Saint Francis Women's Lacrosse on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get up-to-date information and a behind-the-scenes look at the Red Flash program.

To learn more about Saint Francis University, visit francis.edu.