ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – The Gannon women's lacrosse team made another big comeback – this time from a five-goal deficit – but for the second straight game, the Golden Knights saw the game slip away late.

Coach Jennifer Pawlowski's team trailed 5-0 early but rallied to take a two-goal lead in the third quarter before giving up a late goal in a 13-12 loss to Molloy University on Wednesday under the lights at the RVC Sports Complex.

This outcome came just three days after Gannon rallied from a pair of three-goal deficits to take the lead before dropping its season opener 13-11 to Georgian Court on Sunday.

Junior midfielder Caroline Stevens (Syracuse, N.Y./Liverpool) had a huge game for the Golden Knights. She led Gannon with six goals, and she was clutch with 12 draw controls.

 
Subpar start:

Molloy took immediate command of the game by scoring just 33 seconds into the game and eventually taking a 5-0 lead just 7 minutes into the game.

However, Gannon began to chip away at the margin. Madyson Schwartz (Philadelphia, Pa./Franklin Towne Charter), Macy Hepditch (Waterloo, Ontario/Resurrection Catholic), and Stevens scored consecutive goals as the Knights trimmed the lead to 5-3 going into the second period.

After Molloy scored early in the second quarter, Gannon again scored three straight goals as Charlie Hunter (Boston, N.Y./Hamburg), Stevens, and Angie George (Brecksville, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban) found the net. Molloy scored with 46 seconds left to take a 7-6 halftime lead.

 
Third-quarter surge:

Molloy scored early in the third to take an 8-6 lead, but Stevens took over. She scored two times in a row to tie the score. Hepditch then stuck off an assist from Hunter to give Gannon its first lead of the game. When Angie George (Brecksville, Ohio/Archbishop Hoban) scored with 5:49 to go in the period, Gannon owned a 10-8 lead.

The game of streaks continued as Molloy countered with three goals before Stevens scored in the waning seconds of the period to tie the score at 11-11.

 
Furious finish:

Stevens scored her sixth goal on a free-position shot to tie the score at 12-12 with 8:40 to go, but that was last score of the game for Gannon.

Gannon had a two-player advantage with 3:25 to go but quickly gave up that advantage with an offside call.

Then Molloy gained a late one-player advantage, and this time their star player, Megan Rugolo scored with 1:06 to go to make it 13-12. Gannon did a good job of containing Rugolo, the 2023 East Coast Conference Player of the Year, as she had just two goals and an assist Wednesday. However, she did score the decisive goal.

Gannon had a couple of late chances but could not find the net.

Goalie Haleigh Manning (Milton, Ga./Cambridge) was strong in goal again for Gannon. She made 13 saves but took another tough loss.

Hepditch and George each finished with two goals for GU.