IMMACULATA, Pa. – In a battle for the number three seed in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) playoffs, the Neumann University women's lacrosse team dropped a 16-15 result at Immaculata University on Saturday afternoon.

Five Knights recorded multi-goal games, including Brittany Cassidy (4 g), Kaitlyn Conrad (4 g), Calie Swegon (3 g), Courtney Petrucelli (2 g) and Carlee Herrin (2 g). Gabby Curry got the start in goal, making 13 saves in the loss.

After a 13-12 double-overtime Neumann victory over the Mighty Macs last season, the stage was set for a closely contested matchup once again this season. Immaculata came out of the gates fast, scoring three of the first four goals of the game to take a 3-1 lead just over six minutes into the contest. The Knights would respond though, going on a 3-0 run to take their first lead of the game at 4-3 with 19:35 left to play in the first frame. Immaculata answered back with a goal to knot things up at four apiece midway through the half, but Neumann registered four of the next six markers to close out the half with an 8-6 lead. Cassidy and Conrad paced the Neumann attack in the opening thirty minutes, each scoring three goals apiece.

Momentum changed quickly after the halftime break though, as the Mighty Macs opened the second stanza with a 5-0 run to go up by a score of 11-8 at the 21:00 mark. Despite the three goal deficit, the Knights would not go quietly. The back and forth affair continued as Neumann retaliated with five of the next six goals of the game, punctuated by a goal from Petrucelli that put the Knights in front 13-12 with 13:50 left in the game.

Unfortunately for the visitors, Immaculata also showed some second half resiliency. The Mighty Macs fought back with three unanswered goals of their own to retake the lead 15-13 with 8:31 left to play. Neumann again dug deep though and found a way back into the game. Using tallies from Swegon and Petrucelli, the Knights clawed back to tie the game 15-15 with under four minutes left to go in the contest.

With the game tied in the final minutes, the Knights fought valiantly for a winner, but could not find the back of the net. Curry made a huge stop on a free position with 2:04 remaining, but Immaculata continued to press and found the game-winning goal with just 23 seconds left on the clock. Neumann looked to equalize late, but lost the ensuing draw control and Immaculata ran out the remainder of the clock to win 16-15.

Neumann (9-7, 5-3 CSAC) wraps up conference play with a record of 5-3. The Knights will await results around the rest of the league to find out where they will be seeded in the CSAC playoffs, which will begin next Saturday, April 28^th. Before the playoffs begin, Neumann will wrap up regular season play with a non-conference contest on Thursday, April 26^th at Rowan University. Game-time is scheduled for 7:00 PM.