GREENVILLE, N.C. – A fourth-quarter comeback effort fell short Saturday as the Elon women's lacrosse team (2-1) suffered its first loss of the season at East Carolina, 12-9.

The Pirates (2-1) took a one-goal lead into halftime and scored six of the first seven goals after the break to go ahead by six. A 3-0 fourth-quarter run brought the Phoenix back within three, but ECU stymied the Elon rally, conceding just one goal in the final seven minutes of play.

Anna Hackett netted her second straight hat trick to pace the Elon offense, with Lillian Austin also scoring a pair of goals and adding an assist for a three-point game.

The Rundown

• Elon opened the scoring with a first-possession strike from Hackett. The Phoenix then doubled the lead when Mia Zebley set up a cutting Lizzie Scalzo to make it 2-0 in the opening five minutes.
• The Pirates responded with a pair of goals to close the first quarter and then took their first lead of the contest with a goal in the opening minutes of the second.
• Danielle Swietoniowski converted on a free-position attempt to level the score at 3-3. After another ECU goal, it was Gwen Eilender's turn to tie the game with a free-position goal, as the junior ripped the ball past the goalie with a scorching shot. However, the Pirates scored on a free position look of their own with 13 seconds remaining in the half to take a 5-4 lead into the break.
• Austin tied the game with her first goal of the day on Elon's first possession after the half, but the Pirates scored the final five goals of the frame to take a 10-5 lead into the fourth.
• ECU struck first in the fourth quarter to take its largest lead of the day but Elon responded with a 3-0 scoring spurt to trim the lead in half. MJ Santa Barbara spun her way past a defender and scored to start the run before Hackett netted a pair of goals in less than a minute to make the score 11-8.
• Elon had chances to further cut into ECU's lead in the final half of the fourth quarter but could not convert on its attempts. The teams traded a goal in the final minute of play as the Pirates held on for a three-goal victory.

 
Notable Numbers

• Hackett turned in her second straight hat trick and the 14th of her Elon career. The redshirt junior has scored multiple goals in all three games this season and leads the Phoenix in points (10) and goals (8).
• Austin had her first multi-goal outing of the season with a pair of second-half tallies. The sophomore also added an assist on Santa Barbara's goal for a three-point effort, her seventh career multi-point game.
• Seven other Elon players notched a goal, with Eilender scoring her first of the season and fourth of her career.
• Hackett led Elon with five shot attempts, with Swietoniowski taking four shots.
• Scalzo continued her stellar freshman season with her sixth goal, with Zebley adding her first assist of the campaign on that marker.
• Santa Barbara paced the Phoenix with six draw controls, but the Pirates won the battle in the draw circle, 12-10. The junior scored a goal in a third consecutive game, extending the longest goal-scoring streak of her career.
• Mimi Economus picked up a career-high four ground balls to lead the Phoenix. The senior defender has already surpassed her career-best for ground balls in a season with seven through Elon's first three games.
• Reagan Kuehn and Ana Lee Vandiver added three ground balls of their own with Jessie Penner and Arianna Kouchalakos securing two each. The two ground balls matched a career-best for Kouchalakos.
• Both teams finished the game with 19 ground balls.
• Kuehn and Eliza Ritter led Elon with two caused turnovers apiece. The game featured 35 combined turnovers.
• Evelyn Tull Springer made her Elon debut in goal, relieving starter Caitlin Walsh in the third quarter. Tull Springer made three saves and allowed just two goals in nearly 20 minutes of action.
• Elon outshot the Pirates, 21-20, but ECU goalie Jamie Behar made seven saves.
• The Phoenix forced five unsuccessful clears by the Pirates.

 
Up Next
Elon will look to bounce back with a road game against Virginia Tech on Feb. 27. Opening draw in Blacksburg, Virginia, is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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