EMMITSBURG, Md. - The American University lacrosse team came out of the gates strong behind the hot hand of senior Emma Vinall but faded late, falling to Mount St. Mary's in the 2021 opener, 19-9.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Vinall paced the team with a game-high six goals, only three off of her program record performance against Presbyterian last year. She also led the team with eight draw controls
• Three other players posted goals in their season debut, including seniors Casey Harkins and Erica Skowron. Junior Stefanie Walsh also got on the board for the Eagles with her second career goal. 
• Skowron also pitched in a pair of assists while Harkins and freshman Lizzie De Guzman added one each.
• Junior Ashley Go had a solid return after missing much of last season due to injury. She led the Eagles' defensive line with three ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers.
• Senior Delaney Oliveira and freshman Helena Morrison split time in goal. Morrison earned the start in her first game as an Eagle and walked away with three saves while Oliveira added four.
• The Mountaineers were led by a five-goal effort from Jordan Butler. Alayna Pagnotta added another four followed by Beanie Colson with three, Erin Anderson (2), Jordan Groover (2), Sara Moeller (2), and Kate Kinsella (1). 
• Butler also added five assists for a game-high 10 points, while Kinsella, Pagnotta, Anderson, and Moeller pitched in one each.
• Colson brought down a game-high nine draw controls and was one of three players for the Mount to cause a pair of turnovers. Groover led the team with four ground balls.
• Jenna Oler led the Mount in goal with eight saves.
• Mount St. Mary's picked up the early lead off a goal from Butler but Vinall had the Eagles' response, putting away the game's first free position shot less than two minutes later. 
• The two teams traded goals over the majority of the first half, drawing even three times behind a four-goal effort from Vinall, including one more off a free position shot. A feed from Skowron midway through the first half found Vinall in front of the goal where she put away her fifth of the day to give the Eagles their only lead of the game at 5-4.
• Walsh added one more late, but a closing 7-1 run from the Mountaineers gave them an 11-6 edge heading into the halftime.
• The Eagles chipped away at the lead in the early minutes of the second half with another goal from Vinall and back-to-back goals from Skowron and Harkins. But Mount St. Mary's pushed the tempo late and closed with six unanswered goals to take the 19-9 victory.

HEAR FROM COACH TEETERS...
"Overall I was impressed with how we started today. Mount St. Mary's is a good team, and I was very impressed with [Jordan] Butler, who had a great day for them. They had two games under their belt and certainly exposed some of our weaknesses, but we knew this game would be tough. It's our first game in almost a year with a limited preseason. Our expectations are high and we will work to compete in practice this week, clean up the little things, and continue to get better and be ready for Loyola next Saturday.

"Our defense had some nice stops and I thought played well together. Emma Vinall showed today why she has gotten so much press. She's a force and did a great job of getting us on the ball on the draw and keeping us in the game with her goals, especially in the first half. But, our focus moving forward is to get our offensive unit to connect and calibrate more to take the pressure off Emma."

NEXT UP...
American will open Patriot League play back on the road on Saturday, March 6, with a 1 p.m. start at No. 8/10 Loyola Maryland. The Eagles will host George Washington in their home opener on March 10 at noon.

For the latest on American University Lacrosse, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_Lacrosse) and Instagram (@au_wlax).