PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's lacrosse team battled in a tight contest against Norwich at the Field House Soccer/Lacrosse Complex, falling 10-9 in non-conference action Monday evening. Junior attacker Ellie Macdonald (Burlington, Vt. / Burlington) recorded a career- and team-high five points on two goals and three assists.

The Cardinals also received offense from sophomore attacker Ashley O'Hara (Chittenango, N.Y. / The Hill School), who finished with three points on two goals and an assist. First-year midfielder Juliana Conley (Valhalla, N.Y. / Valhalla) scored the first goal of her collegiate career and also added three ground balls. First-year midfielder Caterina Gonzalez (Staten Island, N.Y. / Tottenville) recorded three draw controls, while junior defender Sloane Carr (Victor, N.Y. / Victor) caused two turnovers and scooped up two ground balls on the defensive end. First-year goalie Aimee Lieman (Fair Lawn, N.J. / Fair Lawn) made nine saves in the loss for the Cardinals.

For the Cadets, Caitlyn Fielder led all players with six points on three goals and three assists while adding four draw controls and three ground balls. Caitlin Slider scored four goals, and Sophia Albright added three. Bailey Ingala recorded nine saves in the win for Norwich.

In the closely contested matchup, Plattsburgh narrowly outshot Norwich 30-27, but the Cadets held the advantage in draw controls, 16-5. Both teams finished with 19 ground balls, and each scored once on a free-position shot, with Plattsburgh going 1-for-3 and Norwich 1-for-2. The Cardinals were efficient on clears, finishing 21-for-26 compared to Norwich's 11-for-17.

Plattsburgh controlled the first quarter, outshooting Norwich 9-4 and scoring two unanswered goals. O'Hara opened the scoring, beating her defender on a dodge and finishing on the doorstep. Erica Dickinson (Yaphank, N.Y. / Bellport) followed with a goal of her own, blowing past her defender to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead heading into the second quarter.

That momentum carried into the second, as Conley and Macdonald extended Plattsburgh's lead to 4-0 with 10:54 remaining. Norwich finally got on the board at the 8:21 mark and added two more goals later in the quarter, but Plattsburgh took a 6-3 advantage into halftime after Klotz scored with 1:45 remaining.

The Cardinals came out of the break strong, scoring back-to-back goals from Macdonald and Chase Calandra (Rome, N.Y. / Rome Free Academy) to extend their lead to 8-3 with 9:53 to go in the third quarter. However, Norwich answered with a seven-goal run to swing the momentum. The Cadets scored twice more in the third as part of that stretch, cutting the deficit to 8-5 heading into the final quarter.

The Norwich run carried into the fourth, as the Cadets netted five straight goals to take their first lead of the game at 9-8 before pushing the advantage to 10-8 with 6:59 remaining. Plattsburgh stayed within reach when O'Hara finished a feed from Macdonald to trim the deficit to 10-9 with 1:36 on the clock. Despite the late push, the Cardinals were unable to get another shot off and ultimately fell 10-9.

With the loss, Plattsburgh State drops to 1-2 and returns to action on Wednesday, Mar. 11, when the team hosts Clarkson for a 4 p.m. draw control.