MADISON, N.J. (March 25, 2016) – A second half resurgence by the Drew University women's lacrosse team (2-6, 0-1) ran out of steam at the very end of the 2016 Landmark Conference opener against Susquehanna University (3-3, 1-0), who held on for a 15-13 victory at Ranger Stadium Friday afternoon.
 
Top Performers: Sophomore midfielder Maddie Spiess netted four goals in the setback, the third time she's tallied at least four in a game this season, and upping her team-leading total to 23. With her fifth hat trick of the season, junior midfielder Morgan Mason scored her 10^th goal in the last three games while adding an assist against the Crusaders. Sophomore midfielder Juliana Strazulo scored twice and assisted twice all while commanding the midfield with four groundballs, two caused turnovers and a game-high seven draw controls.
 
The Turning Point: A halftime speech from first-year head coach Jane Karger. Susquehanna jumped out to a 10-3 lead, including the 100^th career goal by Crusaders' senior Annie McElaney, in the first half. The halftime adjustments made all the difference as the Rangers scored five straight goals within a span of 11 minutes to cut the deficit to 11-8. During the run, Spiess and sophomore midfielder Nicole Kinney scored a pair of woman-down goals after a pair of Drew yellow cards.
 
Down the Stretch: The Susquehanna offense did just enough to hold the lead as the Rangers kept charging with two more goals by Spiess, and a tally by Strazulo with 4:15 left to make it a one-goal game at 14-13. Both defenses took over from there, with the Crusaders getting the last word with 3:35 remaining to set the final score at 15-13.
 
Other Highlights: Junior attacker Anna Fiorini returned from an injury and connected on a well-executed one-time shot from Strazulo for Fiorini's first goal of 2016. The goal came during Drew's comeback attempt in the second half. Kinney netted her first career hat trick with three goals on Friday.
 
See for Yourself: Click here for a photo gallery from Friday's game against Susquehanna.

 
Next Up: The Rangers begin a three-game stint away from Madison on Tuesday, March 29 at Stockton University. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Galloway, N.J.