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EASTON, Pa. ÃÆ'Æ’¢ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡¬ÃÆ'¢Ã¢â€š¬Ã…â€Å" The Lafayette women's lacrosse team was tripped up in its final non-conference contest of the season on Wednesday evening at Fisher Stadium, coming out on the low side of 13-11 margin against Villanova.

The Leopards controlled the game in terms of most of the statistical categories, but turnovers and missed chances proved costly against the Wildcats. The loss drops the Maroon and White to 6-3 overall, while improving Villanova to 2-6 on the season.

Controlling the draw, 17-9, and holding the shot advantage (37-30) and the ground ball edge (28-24) would normally result in a positive result for Lafayette. However, nine turnovers in the clearing game and a 5-for-20 mark at the eight-meter proved to be the difference.

Sophomore Jane Kirby and senior Kirsten Wilhelmsen were the majority of the offense, scoring four goals apiece. Sophomores Hannah Davey and Emma Novick, and freshman Emily Wingate each chipped in with one each.

The Wildcats never trailed in the game, jumping out to a 3-1 advantage after the opening 10 minutes. An unassisted tally from Wilhelmsen cut it to one at 3-2, but two back from the Wildcats' Jillian Swikart inflated the lead to three at 5-2 with 11:15 to go in the first.

Three of the next four goals went the Leopards way as Wingate and Davey cut the lead to one at 6-5 late in the half. However, a Maggie Jennings marker with 11 seconds left on the clock sent the game into the break with momentum on the visiting sideline and a 7-5 score.

Novick opened the second-half scoring less than a minute in, finishing on free-position to make it a one-goal game. However, that didn't spark a run as the two teams traded tallies over an eight-minute stretch with the game sitting at 9-8 with 22:10 to play.

That period is where the game swung to Villanova's side as the inability for Lafayette to tie it opened the door for back-to-back goals from the Wildcats at the 17:10 and 12:56 marks, making it a three-goal cushion at 11-8. It was an advantage too big to overcome for the Leopards, who scored three of the final five goals as time ran out on a 13-11 defeat.

Villanova goalie Julia Michaels was excellent on the night, making a career-high 16 saves, with 11 coming in the first half of play. Junior Anna Raymond and sophomore Allie Abacherli split time between the pipes for the Leopards with each making three and four saves, respectively.

The Leopards will look for a bounce-back in a return to Patriot League play on Saturday. Lafayette travels to Hamilton, N.Y. with opening draw at Colgate set for 1 p.m.