NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse team battled undefeated Norwich hard on Wednesday afternoon but came up just short, falling 11-10 in a hard-fought conference battle at Sabine Field.

In a game that saw five ties and constant momentum swings, the Monks matched the Cadets step for step before Norwich pulled ahead late in the third quarter.The Monks were sharp on offense, scoring 10 goals on 17 shots on target, but couldn't quite knock off the conference's top team.

Mackenzie Siebert (Naples, ME) led the way for Saint Joseph's with four goals, including a third-quarter hat trick that helped fuel a big run. Lydia Hill (Windham, ME) and Sophia Burton (Westtown, NY) each chipped in two, while Shauna Clark (Oakland, ME) and Taylor Dumond (Minisink, NY) added one apiece. Celia Melanson (Waterford, ME) quarterbacked the offense with four assists, and Clark added two more to round out a strong three-point outing.

After a tight 2-2 opening quarter, the teams traded goals through the second and went into halftime tied 5-5. The Monks rattled off three straight goals in the third—two from Siebert and one from Hill—to jump out to a 9-7 lead. But Norwich answered with a run of their own, reclaiming the edge at 10-9 heading into the fourth.

The Cadets extended their lead early in the final quarter, but Siebert struck again to pull the Monks within one with just under five minutes to play. Saint Joseph's had a couple of good looks in the closing minutes, including two free-position shots, but couldn't find the equalizer.

Norwich's Caitlyn Fielder recorded a hat trick of her own, and goalie Bailey Manning-Ingala made 12 saves—several of them clutch in the fourth quarter—to help preserve the win. For Saint Joseph's, senior keeper Alexis Eldridge tallied six saves in nearly 37 minutes of work after stepping in for starter Morgan Wright.