BALTIMORE, Md. – The seventh-ranked Ithaca College women's lacrosse was back in action on Tuesday afternoon when it faced its most stringent test of the early 2018 campaign, as the squad faced third-ranked Trinity (Conn.) in a neutral-site contest in Baltimore, Md. Although the Bombers hung with the undefeated Bantams throughout the afternoon, the team came up shy in its bid to remain perfect on the year, falling by a 13-9 final margin. The loss drops Ithaca to 3-1, while it levels its record at 1-1 against nationally-ranked teams on year.
 
Tuesday afternoon's tilt renewed the rivalry these two programs have sparked in recent seasons. Ithaca and Trinity have met in each of the past three seasons dating back to 2016, as the Bantoms scored an 11-8 win in the Second Round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament. The Bombers avenged that loss last spring when the two sides also squared off on a spring break trip to Nashville, besting No. 2 Trinity in an 11-10 thriller. Unfortunately, the rubber match between the two sides on Tuesday swung back in favor of the Bantoms.
 
Fueling Trinity's success was a hefty draw control advantage that helped the Bantoms build an early lead in the first half and maintain the margin throughout the contest. Trinity out-paced Ithaca 17-to-7 on the draw, which helped the third-ranked Bantoms overcome several other advantages for the Bombers. IC outshot Trinity 31-to-26, which included a 12-to-6 advantage in free-position shots, while Ithaca also committed two less turnovers 19-to-21. In the end, a six-goal run during an 8:21 stretch of the first half proved to be the difference. Trinity held the lion's share of possession with its draw and capitalized on its scoring chances to build up a 7-2 lead that Ithaca was never able to overcome.
 
Leading the way offensively for the Bombers was freshman midfielder Jacqui Hallack, who registered a multi-goal effort for the third consecutive game. She finished with her second hat trick of the season on a game-high seven shot attempts. She has now scored eight goals over her past three games, becoming an ever-increasing part of IC's lethal attack.
 
The Bombers also had two other players record three-point efforts on the day. Junior attacker Allie Panara made a bit of history with her one goal and two assist performance. The two helpers brought her career total to 56 assists, tying Nicole Borisenok '12 for 10^th on the program's all-time list. Sophomore midfielder Katie Welch also posted three points on two goals and one helper. The two goals helped her extend her scoring streak to three consecutive games.
 
Also registering goals for the Bombers on the day were freshman Caroline Grant, sophomore Bailey Herr and junior Erin McGee. Each tallied on goal in the contest.
 
Defensively, Ithaca forced 12 caused turnovers in the contest. Leading the way was junior Kaylou Stoddard, who saw extensive action, finishing with three caused turnovers. Senior Elizabeth Sauer also continued her strong start to the campaign with two caused turnovers and two ground-balls. Sophomore Becky Mehorter and freshman Caroline Paquin each added on caused turnover, while junior Reid Simoncini posted one caused turnover and two ground-balls.
 
Senior net-minder Kimberly Presuto had a solid day, making eight saves and forcing two caused turnovers. Her second half was the stronger of the two, as she held Trinity's attack to just four goals in the final 30-minutes.
 
Ithaca was actually the team jump out on the front foot in the contest. Winning the opening draw, IC broke the ice on the scoreboard less than a minute into the game when Hallack rifled a shot past Trinity keeper Zoe Ferguson to get an early 1-0 lead. Several minutes later after a Trinity equalizer, Welch sent home the first of two goals for the sophomore on the day to reestablish the lead at 2-1 with 22-minutes to play.
 
Ferguson and Trinity's defense buckled down during the ensuing stretch, while the Bantoms draw control ensured plenty of possession for the third-ranked team in the country. Trinity scored six unanswered goals to take a 7-2 lead. The Bombers were unable to close any closer than three goals the rest of the way.
 
Hallack and Grant briefly pulled the Bombers within the three-goal mark when the rookies scored back-to-back with under 10-minutes left to make the score 7-4. Hallack capped the first half with her third goal before the break with 54-seconds to send IC with some momentum heading into the intermission trailing just 9-5.
 
Unfortunately, Trinity's defense and goalie play never allowed the Bombers to get going despite generating the majority of the chances after the break. Panara and McGee scored back-to-back over a 2:43 span to again close within three goals at 11-8 with 11:32 to play. Herr's goal with 4:50 remaining also cut the deficit to three at 12-9, but Trinity sealed the game with strong draw work and Kiley Coffey capped the score at 13-9 with under a minute left.
 
Ithaca returns to action this coming weekend when it opens Liberty League play at Skidmore. Start time is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 17.