BEREA, Ohio – Lewis & Clark College women's lacrosse built a four-goal lead in the first half but could not hold on, falling 15-10 to Baldwin Wallace University on Saturday morning at Finnie Stadium.
 
THE BASICS
 
Baldwin Wallace 15, Lewis & Clark 10
(Lewis & Clark 5-2)
(Baldwin Wallace 5-2)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Senior Kate Meinhard and junior Finley Allen each scored three goals for the River Otters, while first-year Ala Cross added two goals and two assists for four points. Allen finished with three draw controls, and Meinhard added three ground balls and one draw control.
 
Junior Aviana Gonzales contributed one goal and one assist, and sophomore Mack Searle scored once and won three draw controls to tie Allen for the team lead.
 
Sophomore Kaitlin McRae started in goal, played three quarters and recorded eight saves. She also tied Meinhard with a team-high three ground balls. First-year Merrick Loeffler played the third quarter and made one save.
 
The River Otters controlled the opening quarter. Allen scored at 12:10, Searle followed with a goal off a Cross assist at 10:21, and Meinhard added a goal at 6:44 to give Lewis & Clark a 3-0 lead. Baldwin Wallace cut the deficit to 3-1 with 48 seconds left in the period on a man-up opportunity.
 
Cross scored twice in the first 62 seconds of the second quarter to extend the lead to 5-1. The first came on a Gonzales assist, and the second was unassisted. The Yellowjackets responded with back-to-back goals at 6:57 and 6:16 to trim the margin to 5-3. Meinhard restored a three-goal lead at 1:43 on an assist from junior Rowan Levandoski, but Baldwin Wallace scored in the final 90 seconds before halftime. Lewis & Clark took a 6-5 lead into the break.
 
Gonzales scored on a man-up opportunity at 10:30 of the third quarter, assisted by Cross, to make it 7-5. The Yellowjackets answered 28 seconds later. Meinhard pushed the lead back to two at 8-6 with a goal at 6:11, but Baldwin Wallace converted a free-position shot at 2:05 and tied the game at 8-8 with 1:14 remaining.
 
Baldwin Wallace opened the fourth quarter with five straight goals to take a 13-8 lead by the 9:36 mark. Allen scored twice for Lewis & Clark at 8:10 and 6:41 to cut the deficit to 13-10, but the Yellowjackets added goals at 6:01 and 0:37 to seal the win.
 
BY THE NUMBERS 

• Meinhard is nearing two career milestones. Her three goals and three ground balls bring her totals to 93 points and 98 ground balls.
• Lewis & Clark shot 10-for-15 (66.7 percent) from the field. Baldwin Wallace shot 15-for-34 (44.1 percent).
• The Yellowjackets converted four of six free-position shots. The River Otters did not attempt a free-position shot.

WHO'S NEXT
 
Lewis & Clark travels to John Carroll University on Tuesday to wrap up its spring break trip in Ohio. The game is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET).