KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Quincy University women's lacrosse team battled No. 25 Rockhurst for all 60 minutes on Friday afternoon but ultimately came up short in a 16-13 loss at Bourke Field. The Hawks trailed by as many as seven in the second quarter but fought back to make it a two-goal game multiple times in the second half.

Rockhurst struck first midway through the opening quarter, but Amelia Ham answered with an unassisted goal at the 6:15 mark to tie the game at 1-1. The Hawks could not keep the momentum, however, as Rockhurst scored less than 10 seconds later to take a 2-1 lead after one.

Quincy briefly tied the game in the second quarter when Elise Bruggeman scored off an assist from Amelia Ham at the 13:47 mark to make it 2-2. Rockhurst responded with a dominant run, scoring the next seven goals to build a 9-2 advantage. The Hawks closed the half with goals from Emily Leal and Alaina Wilkinson in the final 2:24 to trim the deficit to 9-4 at halftime.

The Hawks came out firing in the third quarter. Raena Crews scored a man-up goal off an assist from Leal to make it 9-5. After Rockhurst answered, Anni Moran capitalized on another man-up opportunity off an Amelia Ham assist to cut the deficit back to four. Later in the quarter, Jaynie Chatman scored off an assist from Moran before Amelia Ham added an unassisted goal with 1:01 left in the frame to make it 11-8 heading into the fourth.

Quincy continued to push in the final quarter. Wilkinson scored off another Amelia Ham assist just over a minute into the period before adding an unassisted goal at the 10:32 mark to bring the Hawks within 12-10. Rockhurst answered with a free-position goal, but Amelia Ham scored again to make it 13-11. After another Rockhurst goal, Wilkinson once again cut the deficit to two at 14-12 with 6:51 remaining. Leal later scored off a Crews assist with 3:20 to play to keep Quincy within striking distance, but Rockhurst answered late to secure the 16-13 win.

Despite the loss, Quincy actually outshot Rockhurst 33-26 and held a commanding 26-13 edge in ground balls. The Hawks also forced 25 Rockhurst turnovers while committing just 14 of their own. Quincy successfully cleared the ball on 13 of 14 attempts and converted both of its man-up opportunities. Rockhurst controlled the draw circle, however, winning 22 draw controls to Quincy's seven, which proved to be one of the biggest differences in the contest.

Wilkinson led Quincy with four goals, while Amelia Ham finished with six points on three goals and three assists. Leal added two goals and an assist, while Moran, Chatman, Bruggeman, and Crews each found the back of the net. Crews also recorded her first career assist.

Defensively, Mikenna Ham made program history with six caused turnovers, the most by a Quincy player in a single game. Jenna Lang added a career-high four ground balls, while Leal finished with three ground balls and two draw controls.

The Hawks will be back in action on Sunday, April 12, when they return home to QU Stadium to take on William Jewell College. Opening draw is scheduled for 2:00 PM.