FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Women's Lacrosse team outscored Shepherd in the second half to defeat the Rams 12-9 at home on Wednesday evening.

Shepherd won the opening draw control, as sophomore Jessie Bare denied the Rams an opportunity at offense, earning her first caused turnover of the day. Both teams proceeded to trade turnovers, before SU got on the board first with a 1-0 lead almost two and a half minutes into the game. Junior Nicole Gray knocked away the next shot from the Rams, as Shepherd knotted the back of the net once more almost three minutes later, jumping ahead 2-0. Off a missed shot from SU, Frostburg got the ball back and marched down the field, finding themselves with a free position. Junior Kerri Hayes was able to fight her way to the goal for the Bobcats first score of the day and a 2-1 game. Not even two minutes later, FSU tied the game at two, as graduate Maura O'Neill missed wide on a free position, as the ball found sophomore Emily Lamoreaux for her to fire away into the net for another Frostburg score. On the very next possession, off the draw control, the Rams took the lead back, holding the 3-2 advantage. The Bobcats responded right away, doing the same thing, as sophomore Neila Haney received the draw control, taking the ball down to Frostburg's offensive half, where Hayes had another try at goal, tying the game now at three apiece. Gray was credited with three more saves to end the quarter, as graduate Lilly Stephens tried to break the tie with a shot that hit the post, as the score remained 3-3 heading into the second.

Both teams traded a turnover to kickoff the second quarter, as the Rams jumped in front 4-3 just over a minute and a half into the second. Both teams battled back and forth over the next span of minutes with O'Neill working on both ends of the field, firing a shot at goal that was denied, and causing a turnover on defense. Gray stood strong in goal racking up the saves, as Bare earned another caused turnover, and Stephens ripped another shot at goal, as the score remained 4-3 in favor of SU over the next 10 minutes. At the 3:52 mark, junior Julia Badolato found the back of the net for the Bobcats to tie the game at 4-4. Both teams saw shots to end the quarter, each team being denied by the others keeper, as the score read 4-4 at the break.

Frostburg wasted no time out of halftime to take their first lead of the game, as Hayes recorded her hat trick, giving FSU a 5-4 lead just over a minute into the third. The Bobcats tacked on another goal to their score just a few minutes later, with Stephens finally reaching the back of the net for a 6-4 game. The Rams had seen enough, knotting their first goal of the second half off the draw control, bringing the game to a 6-5 score. Haney and senior Camden DeMaio both tried to increase FSU's lead but were just off target, as Shepherd knotted things at six apiece at the 6:52 mark. Just over a minute later, SU recaptured the lead, taking over in a 7-6 game. As the Bobcats continued to do, Haney picked up the draw control and went off to the races set up Frostburg's offense, finding herself with a goal off an assist from freshman Gianna Leonardi. Around two minutes later, Hayes tacked on another goal for FSU on a man-up opportunity, giving the Bobcats the 8-7 advantage. Hayes saw one more shot to end the third but was denied, as Frostburg entered the fourth with a one-goal lead.

The Bobcats wasted no time to get things going in the fourth and final quarter, as Haney won the draw control, allowing O'Neill to find Lamoreaux for a score and a 9-7 Frostburg advantage. Gray denied the Rams' first shot of the quarter, as Leonardi found Haney once more at the 9:40 mark to increase FSU's lead to three, their largest of the night. Continuing her dominance in goal, Gray recorded another save, as Hayes found herself with another goal at the other end, off an assist from O'Neill for an 11-7 game. The Bobcats kept possession for most of the next few minutes, continuing to find tries at goal but not able to tack on more. SU got on the board in the fourth at the 4:44 mark, cutting their deficit to 11-8. O'Neill showed that Frostburg wasn't done yet, responding right away on the next possession with a goal, putting FSU back up by four, 12-8. The Bobcats continued to get looks on offense, as SU added one more to their total with 1:18 left in regulation, as time winded out with Frostburg coming out on top 12-9.

Hayes led the way on offense for the Bobcats, scoring five goals on nine shots, tying her career-high. Haney and Lamoreaux were next up offensively, scoring two goals and recording two ground balls each, as Haney was credited with six draw controls as well. O'Neill finished with one goal and two assists for three points, as well as causing three turnovers on defense, with Bare leading the way defensively with four caused turnovers. Gray was credited with nine saves on the day for her third win of the year.

With the win, FSU improves to 3-1 on the season, while Shepherd drops to 1-2. The Bobcats will go on the road for the first time this season, facing Slippery Rock on Saturday, March 9 at 12 PM for their next matchup. Information and updates will be posted to frostburgsports.com.