Caroline Hamilton and Cate Rathnam scored two goals apiece to lead the Scarlet and Brown, but a strong second half led the Ithaca Bombers to a 10-7 win over the St. Lawrence University women's lacrosse team on Friday afternoon at North Country Field.

Hamilton also picked up four ground balls and caused three turnovers, while Tallis Tarbell, Ashley Mudd and Jolie Osborne also scored for the Saints. Kelsey O'Brien had a strong game on the defensive side of the ball with six caused turnovers and four ground balls. Winnie Downs picked up three ground balls and caused two turnovers.

Ithaca struck first, but the Saints responded with back-to-back goals from Rathnam and Hamilton just 41 seconds apart to take a 2-1 lead early in the first. The Bombers regained the lead with two of their own to end the first up 3-2.

The Saints were hot in the second quarter, shutting out the Bombers 3-0 to take a 5-3 lead at halftime.

Hamilton added her second of the game to start the third, capping the four-goal run and giving the Saints a 6-3 lead. The teams then traded goals, as Kelly Augeri scored for Ithaca and Tarbell scored for St. Lawrence. Ithaca ended the third quarter with two goals, bringing the game back within one.

The fourth quarter belonged to Ithaca, as the Bombers shutout the Saints 4-0 to regain the lead and take the win.

"It was the tale of two halves today," said head coach Tom Ryan. "A lot to be positive about in the first half. In the second half, we struggled to clear the ball and that lead to an imbalance of possessions in Ithaca's favor. They are a good team, and we gave them too many opportunities to get back in the game and then keep the lead down the stretch."

"A big thank you to our grounds crew, support staff/game crew, men's lacrosse staff, and parents who helped clear the field to make today's game possible, Ryan added."



Leigh Naturale led the Bombers with four goals, while Lily Cody won 12 draws.

Zoe Froimovitz stopped eight shots for the Saints and picked up three ground balls, while Mikaela Dattilo made three for Ithaca.

Ithaca led 26-20 in shots and 14-5 in draw controls, while the Saints picked up 22 ground balls to the Bombers 14 and led 20-17 in caused turnovers.

SLU fell to 3-4 on the season and 0-2 in Liberty League play, while Ithaca improved to 5-1 and 2-0.

The Saints are back home tomorrow, as they host No. 8 William Smith at 3 p.m.