BRISTOL, R.I. - A late four-goal surge saw the Roger Williams University Women's Lacrosse team see off Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) rival Gordon College 15-11 on Saturday afternoon at Bayside Field.

The win improves RWU to 5-4 overall, 3-1 in The Commonwealth Coast Conference, while Gordon falls to 6-4, 4-2 TCCC.

The game started at a fiery pace, as just 36 seconds in the Hawks had the ball in the net. Claire Halliday (Trenton, N.J.) dished the ball off to Kate Malenczak (Sayville, N.Y.) who made no mistake in firing past Gordon netminder Danielle Maguire to give RWU a 1-0 advantage. Halliday would find herself on the score sheet just 1:02 later, finding the net with a free-position shot to double the Hawks' lead.

After successive goals from Danica Delia (Norwalk, Conn.), Dana Wilfahrt (Hamilton, Mass.) and Halliday, it seemed that Roger Williams would run away with the game. However, the Fighting Scots went on a run of their own, scoring three consecutive goals to cut the lead to 5-3. The transition of a position of comfort to that of peril was becoming a reality for the Hawks, as the previously dormant Scots proved that they were up for this game just as much as the hosts.

The rest of the first half proved very volatile in terms of score.  After Malenczak found the net, Gordon responded back with a tally through Jordan Alexander (Portland, Maine). Malenczak scored again just a minute later, but Gordon's Alana Woods (Medford, Mass.) was equal to the task, sending a shot past RWU goalie Justine Sullivan, who had saved two point-blank efforts from free position shots following Alexander's goal. Stephanie Fitzgerald (Groveland, Mass.) then cut the deficit to 7-6, putting the game well and truly in the balance. Though Malenczak earned a free position with a second left in the half, she was denied by Maguire, as the hosts went into the break one goal to the good.

Gordon would deadlock the game just 1:12 into the second half, as Alexander finished off a beautiful move, beating two defenders before firing past Sullivan. They would then capture the lead just 31 seconds later, as Kari Christensen (Standish, Maine) and Fitzgerald scored to give Gordon a 9-7 advantage. Christensen then hit the post with a free-position shot, as the Scots threatened to make a run of their own. Delia was responsible for the next two tallies, first pulling a goal back from close range before going on a mazy run through the Gordon defense that culminated in her tying the game with 22 minutes left.

After Sullivan denied Christensen from a free-position, the Hawks went down the other end of the field where Malenczak found the net with 14:15 to make it 10-9. However, it became a case of “anything you can do,” as Christensen scored just 30 seconds later tie it at ten-all. Soon after, Tina Carpenter (Moorestown, N.J.) fired a high shot past Maguire to put the Hawks on top, before Jessica Searl (Glastonbury, Conn.) scored four goals in a row to make it 15-10 with 2:56 left. Woods brought the deficit back to four with exactly two minutes remaining, but the Hawks stayed tight and ran out the clock on a 15-11 victory.

Malenczak and Searl led the scoring for RWU, finishing the game with four apiece, while Christiansen led Gordon with three goals. Sullivan compiled ten saves in earning the win, while Maguire stopped 14 shots in the loss.

Roger Williams is next in action at Salve Regina at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, while Gordon travels to Wheaton at the same time on Tuesday.