The lacrosse team's loss to Salisbury University became a distant memory as the Lions earned two huge victories over Cabrini College and Washington & Lee University, 18-9 and 12-8, respectively.
In the game versus the Cavaliers of Cabrini, the Lions were the first to find the back of the net, but their defense was quickly challenged when the Cavaliers scored two consecutive goals.
Control of the game swayed back in the Lions' favor after senior midfielder Karen Doane netted a free-position shot only to take the ball downfield and score again less than two minutes later.
Unfortunately for the Lions, the Cavaliers were not going down without a fight. They took the lead once again roughly halfway through the first half.
The teams continued to battle offensively and defensively, trading the lead up until the final 10 minutes of the half. With the Lions trailing by one point, senior attack Diane Haddeland commenced what turned into a scoring frenzy by the Lions. Five different Lions scored six goals in less than six minutes.
After slaughtering the Cavaliers' defense, the Lions took a permanent hold of the lead with a score of 12-6 going into halftime.
The second half brought another array of goals by the Lions. Freshman midfielder Leigh Mitchell earned a hat trick, scoring three consecutive goals to begin the half.
The Cavaliers scored three times in the second half, as the Lions took home an impressive 18-9 victory.
Doane netted six goals while senior goalkeeper Caitlin Gregory collected six saves.
Two days later, the No. 2 Lions were back on the field again, this time in a nationally-ranked matchup against the No. 6 Generals of Washington & Lee University.
"It is great to be challenged in highly competitive games," head coach Sharon Pfluger said. "We learn more about ourselves in every one of these games and they help us to become a better team every day."
Offensively, the Lions wasted no time scoring four of the game's first five goals, three of them attributed to Doane.
The teams traded goals back and forth until five goals by the Generals in the last minutes of the half had the two teams tied at 7.
Defense was the focus in the second half as the two teams fought to keep control of the ball. Eventually, the Lions penetrated the Generals' solid defense with freshman midfielder Alison Jaeger and Haddeland making contact with the back of the net.
The Generals trimmed the Lions' lead down to one when senior attack Christine Bender scored on an unassisted goal with 16:09 left to play, but the Lions were able to hold back the offensive surges by the Generals before notching the last three goals of the game for a 12-8 victory.
The Lions were led once again by Doane, who netted five goals against the Generals, leaving her with 50 on the season.
"Not only is she incredibly quick," Pfluger said regarding Doane, "she can read the defenders and use her speed and agility to her advantage."
Gregory tallied four saves. The victory ended Washington & Lee's 11-game winning streak. They fell to 15-2 while the Lions added another win for an 11-1 record.
The Lions take the field once again on Thursday versus the Profs of Rowan University. The game is scheduled for 5 p.m.
