SALEM, Va. --- Roanoke College women's lacrosse out-scored St. Mary's (Md.) College in the second half, but that was not enough to overcome a slow start as the Maroons fell to the Seahawks, 14-11, on Saturday afternoon in Kerr Stadium.  St. Mary's improves to 7-2 on the season, while Roanoke's record stands at 1-3.

Three players tied for game-high honors with six points apiece.  The Maroons' Darragh Evarts scored five times and dished out an assist, while Claire Feeney beat SMC keepers three times and handed out a trio of helpers.  St. Mary's midfielder Tori Poffenberger led all scorers with six goals.

The two squads traded barbs to start the game, with SMC going up first on a goal by Christy Bishop.  The lead lasted just 90-seconds as Evarts registered the first of her goals off a pass from Feeney.

St. Mary's responded with the first of two extended first-half scoring runs.  Poffenberger found the back of Roanoke's cage on consecutive shots, while Erika Kopf added a third tally to make it 4-1 Seahawks with half the period remaining.

Roanoke quickly righted the ship, getting goals from Evarts and Meredith Bigelow separated by just 14-seconds on the clock.  Feeney provided the helper for Evarts, while Evarts turned playmaker for Bigelow's goal, bringng RC to within one at 4-3 with 14:22 on the scoreboard.

Four different Seahawks added goals to give SMC at a commanding five-goal advantage over an 11-minute span.  Shelby Newman and Poffenberger punched in unassisted efforts, while Meg Gesner made it 7-3 SMC off a dish from Newman.  Bishop recorded her second goal of the half with 1:35 before the intermission, providing the Seahawks with a hefty cushion.

Feeney brought the home fans out of their seats just before the halftime whistle, scoring with 0:08 on the clock to make it 8-4 at the break.

Evarts and Poffenberger continued their scoring duel at the outset of the second stanza, with Evarts preceding a goal from the Seahawks' #20 for a 9-5 scoreline with 27:47 to play.  Roanoke, on the wrong side of two scoring runs in the first frame, returned the favor with a four-goal rally that took just a little over two minutes to accomplish.  Evarts, Bigelow and Feeney each ripped the cord via unassisted efforts, while Allison Barnes took a feed from Bigelow that tied the score 9-all with 23:18 to play.

Much to Roanoke's chagrin, the game of runs continued as St. Mary's rattled off four more unanswered goals.  Kopf dished to Gesner for the first goal at the 21:52 mark, and then followed with an unassisted tally.  Poffenberger registered the last two goals of the string, scoring the first unassisted and the second from Ali Moulis.  That left SMC in front, 13-9, with 12:49 to play.

Roanoke regained its form and pushed down on the gas pedal with Evarts and Feeney combining for the third time and then Feeney scoring one of her own, leaving RC trailing 13-11 with 6:28 to go.

That would be the Maroons' final tally of the day as the Seahawks went into possession-mode, adding a goal from Moulis with a half-minute to play.  Roanoke did break out of its defensive third a few times, including a strong push with two minutes to play.  However, Evarts' attempt to bring RC to within one with 1:52 to go was stopped by SMC keeper Lexi Thorne.

Kayla Dunn and Thorne split halves in goal for the Seahawks.  Dunn did not record a save while allowing four first-half tallies.  Thorne was forced to make four saves against her seven goals allowed.  Lauren Curtin put in a full 60-minute shift for the Maroons, making 10 stops.

The Maroons to return to action on Monday, March 30, when they welcome Bridgewater College to Kerr Stadium for an ODAC matchup.  Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m.