PITTSBURGH, PA – The Alfred University women's lacrosse team set the tone early, but ultimately fell to Chatham University in a 13-8 loss on Saturday evening.

The Saxons (2-2) finished 15-for-27 in clear attempts, while forcing the Cougars (3-1) to 25 turnovers.

Amelia Booth (Staatsburg, NY/FDR) led the Saxons with a team-high five goals across nine shots. Brenna Turner (Bentonville, AR/Bentonville) scored once while picking up a team-high six ground balls. Alyssa Piechota (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) recorded 16 saves for AU.

"The team is a smaller squad and played a fast-paced game today," Head Coach Johanna McCormick said. "We know people will be pushing us all season. We are working hard to find our stride as a team."

The Saxons relied on a shot from Hailey Stroh (Indiana, PA/Indiana) to open scoring in the first quarter. A goal from Chatham was answered by a man-up goal from Booth to give AU the lead. The Cougars scored twice to take a 3-2 lead entering the second quarter. Despite playing in a man-down situation, a goal from Hannah Ulmen (Kendall, NY/Kendall) tied the game. Chatham continued to apply pressure by taking the lead at the 12:01 mark in the second quarter. An assist from Booth to Turner tied the game once again. Two additional goals from Chatham gave them a 6-4 lead at the break.

The Cougars scored three unanswered goals in the third quarter, resulting in a 9-4 lead entering the fourth quarter. Another score from Chatham in the early moments of the fourth quarter was answered by Booth's second goal of the game. Despite another goal from Booth in the closing seconds, the Saxons ran out of time on a potential comeback.

"We will continue to work on the fundamentals and work on consistency in the midfield," McCormick said. 

Alfred University will next return home to face Buffalo State on Tuesday at 4:00 PM.