DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - Four players found the back of the net on Wednesday night as the Loras College Women's Lacrosse team fell to the Elmhurst College Bluejays in their home opener. Sophomore Hannah Nelson led the way for the Duhawks, scoring one goal while tacking on four caused turnovers, three draw controls, and two ground balls in the Duhawks 12-4 defeat.

The Bluejays (3-4) opened the contest with three goals in the opening 15 minutes. With the Duhawks (1-4) having difficulty to find any fluidity on attack Elmhurst shot out to a 3-0 lead.

After several quality possessions, sophomore Anna Schwalbe ended the Duhawks' drought. Drawing a free position opportunity on her initial drive, Schwalbe fired a shot into the back of the net. 

Schwalbe's goal pulled the Duhawks within two but failed to swing the momentum in favor of Loras. 

After holding Elmhurst scoreless for more than 10 minutes, freshman Nikki Togami scored a goals 50 seconds apart to push the Bluejays' lead back to four. 

Unwilling to give up, junior Kaitlyn Kutsch fought off Togami on the draw and worked the ball into the attacking zone. Dishing it to freshman Haley Sundquist, Kutsch cut across the crease. Unable to play the give-and-go, Sundquist drove the lane created by Kutsch and earned a free position opportunity.

Off the whistle, Sundqusit bulldozed her way through the eight and slipped a shot past Elmhurst's keeper with 1:44 to play before the break.

The Duhawks hoped to build off of Sundquist's goal in the second half but Elmhurst freshman Phoebe LeRoy had other ideas, opening the second frame with a goal three minutes in.

Looking to turn the tide, sophomore Hannah Nelson drew back-to-back free position opportunities. Missing the mark on her first, Nelson capitalized on her second attempt. Sending a laser from the eight meter, Nelson buried a goal in the back of the net with 23:59 to play.

After Nelson brought the Duhawks within three, 6-3, Kutsch returned to the draw. Sticking with what worked in the first half, Kutsch outworked Togami for a self-draw, allowing her to transition the ball up field herself. Slipping a pass to sophomore Megan Henry, Loras worked the ball around the perimeter. 

An errant pass trickled away from the Duhawks but sophomore Hailey Frederick tracked it down, corralling the ground ball. With little room to work, Frederick flung a pass to Kutsch who immediately drove to the net. A delayed crash effort by the Bluejays gave Kutsch more than enough room to work with as she fired a shot stick-side of the goalkeeper for the goal. 

Kutsch's goal cut Loras' deficit to two with 23:16 to play. Unfortunately for the Duhawks, that was as close as they would get as the Bluejays closed the game with six unanswered goals, ending Loras' comeback short of the win.

Game Changer
Elmhurst broke the game open with a 5-1 run, forced to play catch up from that point on the Duhawks could not get into a rhythm offensively 

Key Stat
The Duhawks finished 3-of-8 in free-position shots … Elmhurst finished 1-of-2

Notables

• Loras had a program-record eight free position opportunities
• Freshman Sarah Hanson was held without a goal for the first time since the season opener
• The Duhawks committed 20 turnovers, their second lowest total this season

Quotable
Emily Goetz, head coach
"We didn't struggle against Elmhurst, we just made bad decisions with the ball and caused turnovers on ourself. That's what frustrating. With that said, we went down fighting and that's what this whole game was about. Win or lose, you go down battling."

Up Next
Loras looks to bounce back from Wednesday night's loss with a bout against Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference foe, Cornell College, on Saturday. Opening draw is set for 2 p.m.