FARMVILLE, Va. – The Radford women's lacrosse team fell 13-8 on Wednesday in their Big South opener against the Longwood Lancers (4-5, 1-0) as a comeback attempt came up short. 
 
An unassisted River Rupert goal opened the scoring in the game before Linley Tirrell scored off a confident attack from behind the cage to make it a 2-1 lead for the Highlanders midway through the first. The game was a back-and-forth affair as Longwood took a 3-2 advantage through one quarter.
 
Both teams picked up the offense in the second quarter. Margaret Gleason scored first from a nice feed from Jessica Diorio before Diorio scored herself – assisted by Tirrell. Gleason then scored again to cap a 3-0 run for the Highlanders in about a minute of action. The Lancers used a run of their own to take a narrow lead into halftime.
 
In the third quarter, Diorio scored again to end a Lancers run. The goal gave her a third multi-goal game on the season and a new season-high in points. Olivia Hunter made six saves in the quarter to keep the came within reach at 10-6 through three.
 
Katie Carroll and Margaret Gleason both scored in the fourth as the Highlanders attempted to claw back into the game. For Gleason, the goal gave her a second hat trick on the season after earning her career first in the VCU game. Despite 12 saves from Hunter on the day and the Highlanders fighting until the end, the Lancers were able to hang on for the win.
 
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Highlanders return home for a tilt with Mercer on Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will also be available for streaming on ESPN+.
 
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