ROCHESTER, N.Y. (March 9, 2022) -- Graduate student Jenna Cimbron (Bristol, R.I.) had a big day, with seven points on four goals and three assists, but a 5-1 fourth quarter was the difference on Wednesday afternoon, as the Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team suffered a 16-13 defeat on the road at No. 15 nationally ranked Roberts Wesleyan. Senior Madison Bell had a monster day to lead the home team in the non-conference affair at Redhawks Field, as she went for 10 points on five goals and five assists.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 0-2, while Roberts Wesleyan improves to 3-1.

With Franklin Pierce staked to a 13-12 lead with 10 minutes to play, Roberts Wesleyan struck three times in a span of 3:31, to take control of what had been a very back-and-forth affair. Bell put home all three, starting with a strong solo effort, as she worked the ball out front from the left side, dodged a defender and finished into the lower-right corner. She struck again just 77 seconds later, as she played give-and-go with senior Lindsey Brinkel on the left side and put a back-door shot away at the right post. Bell then fired a free-position shot into the top-right corner with 5:01 to play, to make it 15-13, and force a Franklin Pierce timeout.

The Ravens were able to stop the bleeding, but could not generate any offense of their own in the final five minutes. Bell provided the exclamation mark in the dying seconds to create the 16-13 final.

Roberts Wesleyan senior goalkeeper Natalie Arieno (3-1) finished with just eight saves against 21 shots on her goal, but four of them came in the final quarter, as the preseason All-American helped the Redhawks turn the tide late. Franklin Pierce junior Erin Blake (Southborough, Mass.) tallied eight saves of her own, against 24 shots, at the other end of the field in the loss (0-2).

Earlier in the day, the two teams traded goals to start the afternoon, as Roberts Wesleyan senior Ellen O'Neil picked the top-right corner on a free-position, and Cimbron buried a shot from the right side on the run at the other end to answer for Franklin Pierce. Senior Alexis Grant cut out front and finished a pair of centering feeds in the final six minutes of the quarter though, as Roberts Wesleyan took a 3-1 lead into the quarter break.

The second quarter was busy. Roberts Wesleyan got the first two of the period, as sophomore Rhiannon Burto struck in transition and Grant put away another centering feed to finish her hat trick just 3:40 into the second frame, with the latter prompting a Franklin Pierce timeout.

Cimbron ignited the offense out of the timeout, as she drove right and centered for senior Savannah Ernst (American Fork, Utah), dished off to Ernst on a free-position for another goal, and then buried a wrap-around chance from a tough angle to pull the Ravens within a goal. Ernst got the crimson and grey level, and forced a Roberts Wesleyan timeout with 9:53 to play in the half, after she took a feed from senior Kaitlyn Daly (LaGrangeville, N.Y.), faked a shot out front, and then finished over the top of Arieno.

Roberts Wesleyan later scored the final two goals of the period, to take an 8-6 lead into halftime.

At the half, Cimbron led Franklin Pierce with 2-2-4, while Ernst already had a hat trick to her credit. On the other side, Grant had 1-4-5 for Roberts Wesleyan, while Bell had dished out four assists.

After the two sides traded goals coming out of halftime to make it 9-7 Roberts Wesleyan, Franklin Pierce went on a four-goal run to take its first lead of the game, at 10-9, and then push it to 11-9. Graduate student Caroline Lounsbury (Franklin, Mass.) got things started with a running shot on the right side on the rush, and then senior Megyn Ayotte (Guilford, Vt.) found Ernst out front just 16 seconds later, for the latter's fourth of the game, to tie things up. Lounsbury put a free-position into the lower-left corner with 6:56 to play in the frame, and then Ayotte and Ernst hooked up again with 5:39 to go.

Roberts Wesleyan evened things at 11-11, as Brinkel put home a free-position shot on the left side, and then added an assist 78 seconds later by setting up Bell out front. Franklin Pierce would inch out to a 12-11 lead heading for the fourth quarter, as Cimbron drove the right side and finished off her hat trick with 53 seconds remaining in the third.

Franklin Pierce junior Amelia D'Urso (Katonah, N.Y.) led all players with five ground balls on the afternoon.

The Ravens have an open weekend before kicking off the Northeast-10 Conference portion of their schedule on Tuesday, March 15, at home against Stonehill, at 3 p.m.