POTSDAM, N.Y. – The SUNY Potsdam women's lacrosse team (2-4) fell to the Morrisville State Mustangs (2-4) 12-11 on Wednesday afternoon in Potsdam's home opener. Senior midfielder Courtney Cavellier (Rodman, N.Y./South Jefferson) led the way for the Mustangs with five goals. For Potsdam, junior attack Lane Perl (Fulton, N.Y./G. Ray Bodley) and senior midfielder Meaghan Paige (Carthage, N.Y./Carthage) had three goals each. After falling behind 5-2 in the first half, the Bears fought back and brought the game to within one with just over a minute remaining before coming up just shy at the buzzer. 
 
Perl scored the first goal of the afternoon for the Bears, coming from the right side of the goalkeeper and launching the ball into the side of the net at the 22:33 mark. The Mustangs tied the contest after junior attacker Chelsea McNeal (Ithaca, N.Y./Ithaca) entered the offensive zone and passed it off to Cavellier at 17:39. Midway through the first period, Morrisville took a 3-1 lead after scoring back-to-back goals. First, with Cavellier scoring off the pass from sophomore midfielder Makenzi Santini (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport). About 30 seconds later, McNeal came from the right side of the attack area and assisted on senior attack Cella Abbott's (Shortsville, N.Y./Red Jacket High) goal from six feet outside the crease. At the 8:02 mark, McNeal buried her free-position shot to continue the Morrisville run. Cavellier then completed the 5-0 stretch with her third goal of the half at the 4:11 mark. The Bears put an end to the momentum after junior attack Ashley Burrowes (Brentwood, N.Y./Brentwood) assisted on Perl's second goal from the right side of the net. Morrisville held a 5-2 lead at halftime. 
 
The Mustangs scored within seconds after claiming the draw control to open the second half, as Abbott came from the left sideline to find the back of the net. At the 26:23 mark, Cavellier freed up Satini using a screen, which allowed Satini to go into the attack area and notch her first goal of the game. The Bears got back into the contest with back-to-back goals. First, sophomore midfielder Zoe Morgenroth (Liverpool, N.Y./South Jefferson) connected on her free-position shot at 25:35. Then, junior captain Cayla O'Connor (Dexter, N.Y./General Brown) came from the right wing, created separation between herself and the defender and closed the gap to 7-4. Morrisville quickly responded after being rewarded a free-position shot, which sophomore midfielder Melissa Lucciola (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) buried at 21:43. Abbott then found the net again with her third goal of the game, by making the most of her-free position shot with 19:19 left.
 
Down 9-4 with 19 minutes on the clock, Potsdam's offense began to pick up and the Bears generated more scoring opportunities. Morgenroth scored after getting past her defender in the attack area at 18:21. Junior midfielder Alexa Ferrer (Warwick, N.Y./Warwick Valley) followed it up with a goal of her own after running from the wing area and drilling her shot over two defenders 19 seconds later. Morrisville responded with the next two goals from Cavellier and McNeal to open up an 11-6 advantage at 15:06. Potsdam outscored the Mustangs 5-1 the rest of the way. Paige ripped a man-up marker off a perfect pass from junior attack Alli Stark (Walworth, N.Y./Gananda) at 14:41. At 11:07, Paige struck again on pass from Burrowes in traffic. Ferrer scored and brought the Bears to within two after catching a pass at midfield and going to the goal at 10:31. At the 5:55 mark, Paige scored again with a helper from junior attack Miranda Kolb (Watertown, N.Y./Immaculate Heart), getting Potsdam within 11-10. After a big save from Mustang freshman goalkeeper Kadi Bice (Lorraine, N.Y./South Jefferson) to preserve the lead, Cavellier netted her fifth and the eventual game-winner at 3:24 with a free-position tally. The Bears brought themselves back within one after Perl (Fulton, N.Y./G. Ray Bodley) completed her hat trick with 1:44 left. Down one, Potsdam forced a turnover in the final seconds and had possession with 8.6 left. After being fouled, O'Connor was rewarded a free-position shot with 3.8 ticks remaining, but Bice was able to come up with her biggest save of the afternoon and seal the 12-11 win for Morrisville.  
 
Abbott had three goals for the Mustangs. McNeal scored twice and had three assists. Morgenroth and Ferrer had two goals each for Potsdam.  
 
Bice had 11 saves in the win for the Mustangs. Senior goalkeeper Katie Longamore (Dexter, N.Y./General Brown) stopped six shots.  
 
The Bears are back in action on Saturday to open SUNYAC play against SUNY New Paltz at noon.