Final Stats

(0-2) 1 2 Final Ball State 1 1 2 Lafayette 3 0 3 Box Score (1-0)

EASTON, Pa. - A trio of goals in the opening 35 minutes of play ensured that Lafayette got its 2015 season off to a winning start at Rappolt Field Sunday afternoon.

Paige Macrae, Amanda Magadan and Hannah Millen all scored for the Leopards, who held off a late charge from Ball State to hold on for a 3-2 victory. Trailing 3-1 at halftime, the Cardinals made things interesting by tallying with 46 seconds left in regulation, but that turned out to be the game's final shot on goal.

"Overall, starting with a win is a positive, and a good reflection of the growth of the group," head coach Jennifer Stone said. "I thought there were phases within the game where we played really good hockey and controlled the tempo and play of the game. Credit to Ball State, however, because we were exposed in certain areas where we know we need to continue to grow. We have a short turnaround, but will be ready for another opportunity on Tuesday night."

An increased offensive presence was one of the preseason priorities for head coach Jennifer Stone, and Lafayette (1-0) needed only 8:31 to net its first goal of the new season. Ellen Colbourne fired a low shot from the top of the circle and Macrae, who had just been substituted into the contest, deflected the effort past Cardinal goalie Jordan Dues for the first goal of her collegiate career.

Ball State (0-2) leveled things up 12 minutes later. Morgan Nash directed a long pass in from outside of the circle which reached the stick of Lexi Kavanaugh, who was able to stuff a shot past Leopard goalkeeper Katelyn Arnold.

The next two shots of the game also came from the Cardinals, but Lafayette then rattled off five shots in a row, the last of which was a 30th-minute high rocket from Magadan that found its way into the top right corner. Magadan was a presence in the offensive end throughout the afternoon, finishing with a game-high six shots.

Millen's strike came off a penalty corner in the last minute of the half. Rosie Shanks took the corner and passed up to Kirby Szalkowski at the top of the circle. Szalkowski left the ball for Millen, whose shot was deflected by a Ball State defender past Dues, giving the senior co-captain her third career goal.

The Leopards, who had an 17-13 edge in shots overall, also managed the first three attempts of the second half, and the Cardinals were held shotless for the first 15 minutes after the intermission. They ended the frame, though, with seven shots, and Merinda Morley deflected a Kavanaugh effort past Arnold to reduce the deficit to one in the final minute.

Ball State had one attempt to tie the score, but Mikayla Mooney's shot was blocked at the top of the circle with 11 seconds remaining. Lafayette improved to 2-0 lifetime against the Cardinals, having also defeated its guests to open up the 2012 season.

Arnold finished with four saves in goal to earn her second win as a Leopard.

Lafayette remains at Rappolt Field for its next contest, a 7 p.m. tilt against Siena on Tuesday.