CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 3/10/11 - The Keene State women's lacrosse team fell behind 10-5 after the first 30 minutes and never recovered, falling to host MIT 12-8 in a non-conference game played in Cambridge, Mass.  on Thursday night. It was the first meeting between the two teams on the lacrosse field.

Katie Kauffman paced the Engineers (2-0) with five points on four goals and an assist while Jill Kirk (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.)  led the Owls (1-1) with three goals and an assist.

Laura Wacker put MIT on the board first when she connected on a pass from Alex Wright after 1:24 expired. Kirk quickly tallied the equalizer on a free-position shot, but the Engineers countered with four unanswered goals. Wacker started the spurt while Kelly Duncan and Kauffman were factors in the next three markers. Duncan buried a feed from Kauffman and then the pair switched roles for the next goal. Duncan's free-position strike extended MIT's lead to 5-1 with 14:30 left in the frame.

Undeterred, Keene State registered three consecutive goals during the next four minutes, narrowing the gap to one (5-4). Kirk bookended the spree by redirecting a pass from Liz Reigert (North Port, N.Y.) and converting a free-position attempt as Caitlyn Corace (Mahopac, N.Y.) picked up the first of her two goals courtesy of a feed from Lauren Sawyer (Westbrook, Me.).

The Cardinal and Gray responded by closing out the half with a 5-1 run. Kauffman was responsible for the first and last two goals which came at 19 seconds and then with one tick left before the intermission.

The second stanza was a defensive battle as both sides combined for five goals. MIT increased its margin to 11-5 courtesy of Kelly Duncan's solo effort, but Sawyer's free-position goal at the 24:08 mark kept Keene State in striking distance. Stephanie Leger returned the six-goal lead to the Engineers; however, Kirk found Corace with 14:47 remaining in the game. The contest became a scoreless affair until the Owls' Jamie Albert (Southington, Conn.)  struck with five seconds on the clock.

Wacker registered a hat-trick while Duncan finished with three goals and an assist for the second game in a row. In net, Allison Hamilos collected eight saves and four groundballs and Lauren Rodda bolstered the defense with three groundballs. Leger and Molly McShane both gathered three draw controls.

Emily Persano (Somers, Conn.)  led the way with five groundballs to go along with an assist while Nicole Curry (Hampstead, N.H.) tallied four draw controls, three groundballs, and a goal. Erin Taylor (Brewster, N.Y.) stopped nine shots and added three groundballs as Ashley Borjesson (Londonderry, N.H.)  chipped in three groundballs.

Keene State will resume play on Wednesday, March 16 against Wheaton College in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

(Courtesy MIT Sports Information)