LOS ANGELES -- The George Fox women's lacrosse team had a close game against the Occidental Tigers, staying ahead for the first three quarters before falling in the fourth quarter 15-19.

How It Happened
The first two goals were scored by Occidental, but Fox regrouped themselves after a quick timeout, resulting in a draw control win from Sasha Thayer, and the Bruins' first goal made by Claire Abraham. The Tigers were still up with another goal, attempting to stay in the lead, but Fox climbed to their level again when Abraham scored again from a sneaky pass from Ava Bluhm. The Bruins scored again less than two minutes later when Merrick Gibson made a clean goal, tying the score 3-3. 

Fox kept tying the score with every point Occidental made—Gibson scored a free-position shot, but then, the Bruins gained momentum as Morgan Maxfield scored a goal, and then a draw control, taking the ball down the field with yet another strong goal for the 6-4 lead. With about 30 seconds left, Maxfield continued to take over the game with another goal—the final score of the first period being 7-4.

Each team had a slow start to the second quarter, but Fox got back to their feet when Abraham scored a free-position goal. The Bruins continued to make a significant lead with two more goals by Jenna Clark and Lana Davis. Fox started to lose steam by the second half of the period as they allowed the Tigers to gain some points, but the Bruins were still ahead 10-8.

The score was getting close as Fox tried to manage their winning position with another goal by Davis, but the Tigers were gaining control of the ball. Davis battled to keep the score ahead with another goal, making the score 12-11, but Occidental tied the score again, ending the third quarter with a sneaky 12-12—the perfect set-up for the last period.

The Tigers claimed the first point of the fourth quarter, but Thayer tied the score 13-13 after a swift assist by Clark. Maxfield furthered the score with a goal, and Fox kept ahead for a bit until Occidental scored again. After that, the Bruins' score stayed at 14 as the Tigers gained more points—but Fox didn't go down without a fight when Chloe Bayley snuck in the last goal of the game, as Fox went out with a bang—a close loss of 15-19.

Top Performances
Morgan Maxfield was a top player of the game with four goals and one draw control, Claire Abraham had three goals for the night with five draw controls, Lana Davis also made three goals with three draw controls, and freshman Merrick Gibson made two goals overall.

What It Means
Fox falls to 4-3, and the Tigers improve to an overall of 7-3 (3-3 Conf.)

What Comes Next
The Bruins travel to Claremont on Wednesday, March 26th to play against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps for their last day in California. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm.