MEADVILLE, Pa. -- Two fourth-quarter goals proved to be the difference in Allegheny College's 13-11 loss to Thiel College in a physical Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) women's lacrosse matchup on Saturday.

In a game that featured 15 cards and nearly twice as many free position attempts, Saturday's contest came down to the final 15 minutes of action. The Gators (3-10, 2-4 PAC) and Tomcats (10-2, 4-2 PAC) played three evenly-matched quarters and entered the fourth tied at 11-all. Thiel managed to score the go-ahead and winning goals on its only two shot attempts of the fourth quarter while holding Allegheny off the scoreboard in the period.

The Gators led by two goals on four different occasions in the first half, including an 8-6 advantage with 10:02 left in the second quarter after Caroline Smith (Colorado Springs, Colo./Liberty) netted a free position goal. But the Tomcats responded with the largest run by either team, scoring four consecutive goals in a span of five minutes to take their first lead of the afternoon. Ema Caragein (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton LaSalle) got one back in the final seconds before halftime to cut Thiel's lead down to one at 10-9.

Caragein scored the first goal of the second half, and Erin Lowthert (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg Area) completed her hat trick with 2:34 remaining in the third. Allegheny's only second-half scores tied the game at 10- and 11-all and the two sides played even until the last five minutes. Thiel's Ashlyn Wightman cashed in on an eight-meter attempt with 4:12 to go for the go-ahead goal, and on the other end of the field, goalie Madison Liggett made nine saves in the fourth quarter alone to secure the win.

Inside the Box Score

• Allegheny finished with more shots (36-to-21), ground balls (29-to-16), and free position shots (16-to-6).
• Thiel recorded more draw controls (15-to-12) and had more saves in goal (16-to-5).
• Lowthert and Caragein both earned a hat trick and led all Gators with three points.
• Senior Lauren Petrarca (Simi Valley, Calif./Royal) scored twice with four caused turnovers, five ground balls, and six draw controls.
• Attackers Kendall Cox (Silver Spring, Md./Albert Einstein) and Ava Best (Butler, Pa./Butler) each had one goal and one assist for two points.
• Smith scored once to round out Allegheny's offense.
• Amelia Henderson (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) caused six turnovers on defense and picked up a game-high 10 ground balls.
• Wightman, a returning All-American midfielder, paced Thiel with eight points (7g-1a) and 10 draw controls.

News and Notes

• The loss is only Allegheny's first in the all-time series against Thiel, which dates back to 2012.
• Henderson's 10 ground balls are a career-high and the most by a Gator since Gretchen Barbera '21 had 10 against Baldwin Wallace University on March 15, 2019.
• Caragein recorded three-plus for the second time in 2025, while Lowthert did so the fourth time this spring.
• Aubrey Carion (Pittsburgh, Pa./Kiski Area) made her first-ever start on defense against the Tomcats.

Up Next
The Gators will travel to Westminster College on Saturday, April 19, for a 5:00 p.m. matchup against the Titans.