SHEPHERDSTOWN, W. Va. – The Gannon University women's lacrosse team scored the final two goals of the third quarter to tie Monday's season-opening game at Shepherd University, 9-9, but the host Rams pulled away in the fourth quarter, scoring the next four goals to secure the eventual 13-10 victory. The game was tied on a total of four separate occasions as the teams traded the lead back-and-forth throughout.
 
Gannon junior Alli Jacobs (Eden, N.Y./Eden) led the Golden Knights with three goals, including the last of the game with 2:58 remaining to make it a 13-10 contest. 2021 PSAC West Freshman of the Year McKenna Woodworth (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads) put home a pair of goals and added an assist, while senior Rachel Tufts (Erie, Pa./McDowell) and freshman Caroline Stevens (Syracuse, N.Y./Liverpool) each added two goals apiece while senior goalie Cheyenne Jess (Stratford, N.J./Sterling) made 12 saves in the contest.
 
The Rams sprinted out to a 2-0 lead on their home turf, but Gannon responded with two goals of its own: first, a strike from Woodworth to make it a one-goal game, then an Avrey Kirisits (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster Central) effort with 2:24 remaining to make it 2-2. Shepherd quickly rattled off another pair of goals to lead 4-2 entering the second quarter, but the Knights fought back again with four unanswered from Jacobs, Woodworth, Tufts, and Stevens to go up 6-4. Again, the Rams closed the quarter well, putting home two of their own, capped by an unassisted Katie Paredes goal with just 33 seconds remaining.
 
The same pattern continued into the second half, with Shepherd scoring goals in pairs to begin the third quarter. Down 8-6, it was the Knights' turn to close a quarter on fire, outscoring the Rams 3-1 (goals from Jacobs, Tufts, and Stevens) to tie the game, 9-9. It was all Shepherd for an extended stretch in the fourth quarter, though, scoring four unanswered goals to take a 13-9 lead. Gannon out-shot Shepherd 10-8 in the fourth and Jacobs finally scored the team's first goal of the quarter with 2:58 remaining (with an assist from Lauren Squires (Big Flats, N.Y./Horseheads)) but the Knights ran out of time to mount another comeback.
 
Gannon's season-opening road trip continues on Wednesday, March 2 at with a game against Lenoir-Rhyne at 4:00 p.m. and concludes on Saturday, March 5 at 12:00 p.m. at Catawba.