YORK, Pa. - The No. 7 York College women's lacrosse team fended off a second-half comeback effort by Stevenson in a 14-8 victory as the Spartans handed the Mustangs their first loss of the season Wednesday night at Kinsley Field.

Team records

Stevenson 4-1 (1-1)

#7 York 5-0 (3-0)

How it happened

After losing the opening draw, the Spartans responded in a big way with a pair of quick goals 36 seconds apart courtesy of Teresa Matthias which sparked a 7-0 run for York. The Spartans took advantage of 11 Mustang turnovers during their seven-goal run, scoring goals directly off four of those turnovers.

Stevenson managed to put a halt to the Spartan rout as a draw control following York's seventh goal led to a tally for the Mustangs. Stevenson went on to win the ensuing draw and capitalized once again to cut the deficit to five.

Chloe MacDonald gave York a lift as she sliced through the Mustang defense and registered an impressive goal with defenders all around her to put York ahead, 8-2, with 4:55 left in the first half. Riley DiFiore made three huge sages in the final four minutes of the opening half and Rachel Della delivered a big blow as she tallied a goal with 1:11 to give York a 9-2 advantage heading into halftime.

The two teams traded goals through the first 12 minutes of the second half as York maintained its seven-goal lead. The sizable lead was suddenly reduced to just three as Stevenson posted four-consecutive wins off the draw which led directly to a four-goal run as the Mustangs trailed, 11-8, with 8:33 left in the second half.

The Spartans regrouped after letting up four-straight tallies and out-scored the Mustangs, 3-0, down the stretch. Riley Roeder, Kiersten Blanchard and Matthias forced three key turnovers in the final eight minutes to help stifle Stevenson's comeback bid.

Up next

The Spartans remain at home for a MAC crossover matchup with DeSales on Saturday. First draw is set for 1 p.m.

Notes

The Spartans are 5-0 for the first time since 2011, which matches the best start in program history … York owns a 96-18 goal differential through its first five games, compared to the 72-32 differential from 2011 … the Spartans have now won the last three-straight meetings with Stevenson as York improves to 5-4 all-time against the Mustangs … Riley DiFiore posted a season-high nine saves on the night as she faced a season-high 14 shots … Teresa Matthias matched her career-high with three goals on the night and scooped a season-high three ground balls ... Kiersten Blanchard now has seven goals in the last two games following her tonight's three-goal performance.