ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Albion College women's lacrosse team escaped Concordia University Ann Arbor 14-13 in double overtime on Saturday, Feb. 29 at Cardinal Stadium. With 1:01 left in the second overtime, sophomore Chrystelle Lopez took advantage of a free-possession shot to help the Britons (2-1, 0-0) top the Cardinals (2-1, 0-0).

Senior Marah Ranger opened up the scoring for the Britons with an assist from senior Kate Mullins early in the first half. Moments later, Mullins scored off of a free-possession shot to take their first lead of the game. Sophomore Emily Hill earned her first two goals to help give Albion some insurance on the scoreboard.

The two teams traded goals early on until Lopez sparked a three-goal stretch for the Britons, netting two while senior Darcy Muns added another. With 2:22 remaining before the halftime whistle, Lopez scored her third of the game to give Albion a four-goal advantage. Then with one second on the clock, Concordia's Madisyn Fox snuck one last shot behind the goalkeeper to bring the Cardinals within three.

The Cardinals executed two free-position shots at the beginning of the second half to cut the Albion lead down to one. Less than a minute later, junior Abby Sheklow ended the Britons' scoring drought followed by another Lopez strike. Undeterred, Concordia responded with a three-goal run to tie the game at 11 apiece. Sheklow and Muns answered scoring back-to-back goals separated by just nine seconds.

Trailing by two, Concordia's Madisyn Fox found the back of the net once more down the stretch to make it a 13-12 game. During crunch time, Fox stepped up one last time to notch the game at 13-all, sending the game into overtime.

In the first overtime, the Cardinals were awarded a free-position shot that was stonewalled by senior goalkeeper Jenina Villabroza. The Britons attempted a shot on goal with one second left but were denied by the Cardinals' goalie, sending the game to another overtime. With a little over a minute to go in the second overtime, Lopez benefitted from a Concordia foul as she netted the free-position shot for her sixth score ending the game and sending the Britons home victors.

Lopez led in the way in scoring for the Britons with six goals. The California native has now registered 15 goals in the first three games of the season. Hill, Muns, and Sheklow each produced a pair of goals for the Purple and Gold. Villabroza kept the Cardinals at bay stopping 15-of-28 (54%) shots faced, her first double-digit save performance of the season.

"I am proud of the composure our girls played with tonight," observed Head Coach Laurie Merian. "They played hard until that final whistle and in the toughest moments they worked through it. The hustle is there, now we need to connect that with our minds.  We are moving on with lessons learned and eyes onto Tuesday's game." 

The Britons outshot the Cardinals 36-to-32 and were more meticulous in the clear achieving 19-of-24 (79%) on the afternoon. The Purple and Gold also outperformed the Cardinals on free-position shots 4-of-10 compared to 5-of-14.

Up next, the Albion will travel east for Spring Break as they square-off against Washington & Jefferson College. The opening draw is scheduled for Tuesday, Mar. 3 at 6 p.m. in Washington, Pennsylvania.

Get the latest information on the team by following @AlbionWLacrosse on Twitter and Instagram. General athletics news can also be found at GoBrits on Twitter, AlbionAthletics on Instagram and Albion College Athletics on Facebook.

Joe and Julie Serra have given a $5 million leadership gift to launch a fundraising initiative to make two dreams a reality at Albion College. The first is a newly expanded fitness and student activity facility at the site of the current Dow Recreation and Wellness Center. The second is a new or renovated competition facility for the volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball teams that currently call Kresge Gymnasium home.

The College is continuing to raise funds in support of both projects. To learn more, call 517/629-0446 or email advancement@albion.edu