TACOMA, Wash. – The Eastern Oregon University women's lacrosse team mounted a late comeback effort but fell just short in a 14–13 battle against University of Puget Sound Saturday afternoon at Baker Stadium.
Eastern Oregon came out strong in the opening quarter, jumping to a 3–2 lead behind two early man-up goals. Willow Wright opened the scoring off an assist from Jade McCoy, and McCoy followed with a free-position goal to give the Mountaineers early momentum. The teams were tied 3–3 at the end of the first.
The second quarter remained tight, with EOU matching Puget Sound goal for goal. McCoy added another score, and Wright found the net again off a McCoy assist to even the game at 5–5 late in the half. A last-second man-up goal by the Loggers sent Eastern Oregon into halftime trailing 6–5.
Puget Sound created separation in the third quarter, outscoring the Mountaineers 5–2 to build an 11–7 advantage. Gemma Gonzales scored twice in the period to keep EOU within reach, but the Loggers capitalized on extra possessions during a stretch of player-up opportunities.
The Mountaineers refused to back down in the fourth. Penni McKean sparked the rally with an early goal, followed by back-to-back scores from McCoy and a man-up finish from Gonzales to cut the deficit to 12–11. After Puget Sound extended the lead to 14–12 in the final minutes, Gonzales struck again to make it a one-goal game. McCoy added her sixth goal of the afternoon with 21 seconds remaining, but time ran out before Eastern Oregon could find the equalizer.
McCoy led all scorers with six goals and two assists for eight total points, while Gonzales added four goals. Wright contributed two goals, and McKean chipped in one. The Mountaineers outshot Puget Sound 23–21 and dominated draw controls 18–9, with strong efforts at the circle helping fuel the late comeback attempt. Both teams finished with 15 ground balls, and Eastern Oregon committed just 14 turnovers in a much cleaner performance.
In goal, Maddie Wicks played all 60 minutes and recorded seven saves while also collecting six ground balls.
Eastern Oregon will return home Wednesday, March 4, to host Whitman College in La Grande.
