WORCESTER, Mass. – In a battle of two of the three teams tied for the final two Patriot League Tournament spots, the Lafayette field hockey team took care of business in Worcester, Mass. on Saturday morning, dispatching Holy Cross by a 3-2 score.

The Leopards put forth a dominating performance with the focus on a victory clearly evident throughout the game. Shots finished in the Leopards' favor by a 24-7 margin, while corners were 8-1.

Despite starting the 2018 campaign losing its first five games, Lafayette has completely turned its year around, going 6-3 since that stretch to move to 6-8 overall. The win in Worcester puts the Leopards at 3-1 in Patriot League action and in sole possession of the third spot in the conference standings.

The Maroon and White stepped on the gas right from the onset, taking a 1-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the day. Junior Caroline Turnbull got on the other end of a corner shot from classmate Lisa van der Geest, deflecting it into the back of the cage for the early advantage.

That edge held through the halftime break before senior Kristen Taylor deflected a long shot from junior Jenn DeLongis for her first goal of the season to double the lead at 2-0. Five minutes later, the home side got on the board to cut the lead in half at 2-1, but reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Week Molly McAndrew struck right back for Lafayette, slotting in a rebound in the 67^th minute to push the lead back to two, 3-1.

Holy Cross' Emily Loprete made it interesting down the stretch, beating Lafayette goalkeeper Sarah Park with 50 seconds to play, but it was too little too late for the Crusaders as the Leopards held on for the 3-2 win.

Park finished with a pair of saves on the day for her sixth win of her junior season, while Holy Cross' Marcia LaPlante did all she could in the cage for the Crusaders with nine saves in defeat. McAndrew put three shots on target to lead the way in that category, while Taylor and van der Geest each added a pair for LaPlante to deal with.

Lafayette goes back out of conference in its next contest on Sunday afternoon, making the short trip from Worcester to Providence, R.I. for a battle with the Friars at 1 p.m.