WASHINGTON, D.C.- Sarah Bennett paced the Lafayette women's lacrosse team with a career-high six goals in a 16-15 loss at at American on Saturday afternoon in the Jacobs Recreational Complex.

Saturday's contest saw striking offensive performances from both teams. The Leopards had the upper hand, 6-5, at the end of the first quarter with two scores from Bennett and Katie Chiasson, along with one apiece from Sara Rogers and Kerry Tuorto.

Charlotte Edwards kickstarted the second half to take an early two-goal lead against the Eagles, 7-5 at 13:52. American tied the game around the 12-minute mark with tallies from Hannah Spease and Alyssa Apuzzo. Bennett completed a hat trick at 9:35 to keep an 8-7 advantage.

The Maroon and White went on a 6-0 scoring streak, ending with a 13-8 lead at halftime. McLachlan, Bennett (2), Strobel and Edwards had the remaining tallies of the first half.

Lafayette's Clare Culligan and Bennett found the net at 10:33 and 2:59, respectively, for the two goals of the third quarter. American notched six goals to close the gap and got as close as 15-14 with one period left to play.

The Eagles struck first in the final period at 8:08 to tie the contest, 15-15. With just over one minute remaining in the game, American's Kellie Linehan scored on a free position shot to earn the victory on home turf.

Lafayette held the advantage in draw controls (14-12), ground balls (14-11) and shots (36-34). American was 16-17 in clears as the Leopards went 14-16.

Lafayette's junior goalkeeper Lexie Coldiron matched a career-high 16 saves on 32 shots towards the cage, while her American counterparts, Mary Alice Collins and Lexi Rakis, made 13 and one, respectively.

The Leopards host Bucknell at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Fisher Stadium for Community Day.