Franklin, MA- The Dean College women's lacrosse fell short in their Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener to Norwich University on Saturday, 15-10. Dean now drops to 2-3 (0-1) on the season, while Norwich moves to 3-1 (1-0).

Dean's Emma Mock (Tunkhannock, PA) got things started early with a goal at 9:25 in the first, assisted by Haley Gaunt (Johnston, RI). However, Norwich quickly responded, with Athena Merck scoring a pair of goals within a minute, pushing the lead to 3-1. Dean managed to pull back to a 2-2 tie as Alisha Caldeira (West Bridgewater, MA) scored unassisted at the 0:47 mark, but Norwich's quick-fire attacks, including another Merck goal at 0:20, saw them leading 4-2 at the close of the first quarter.

The second quarter saw more back-and-forth action. Natalie Peterson (Hudson, MA) found the net at 12:40, cutting the Norwich lead to 4-3, but Norwich's Vivian Buntin quickly answered at 12:39 to restore a two-goal lead. Senior Nina Medeiros (Fairhaven, MA) then scored a man-up goal at 9:35 to bring the Bulldogs within one at 5-4. However, Norwich continued to pull away, with Merck capitalizing on another man-up opportunity at 7:29, pushing the score to 6-4 in favor of the visitors.

In the third quarter, Norwich kept the pressure on, scoring three more goals while Dean could only manage two. Athena Merck and Buntin each scored again, with Merck's tally at 12:40 bringing her total to five for the day. Mock scored again at 8:15, but the Bulldogs trailed 9-6 heading into the final quarter.

Dean showed resilience in the fourth, outscoring Norwich 4-3. Shea Cassani (Belgrade, ME) also went into goal for Allie Stockwell (Burrillville, RI). Stockwell transitioned to defense. Afterward, goals from Caroline Ramsey (Shreveport, LA) and Gaunt kept the team in the game. Stockwell also netted her first career goal, bringing Dean even closer. However, it wasn't enough to overcome the early deficit. Norwich's defense held strong, and Buntin added her fifth goal of the game to seal the victory.

Medeiros, Mock, Peterson led Dean with two goals each, while four other Bulldogs each recorded one goal. Peterson also led all Dean players with 13 total shots. Both Cassani and Stockwell each made four saves in goal.

The Bulldogs continue their homestand on March 13th, hosting Wentworth Institute of Technology at 3:00PM.