Newark, Delaware – The visiting UMBC women's lacrosse team suffered their first defeat of the season as they were edged by the Delaware Blue Hens, 9-6, on Wednesday afternoon at Delaware Stadium.
 
Junior attacker Grace Bruce (team-high three ground balls) and sophomore midfielder Libby Staples led the Retrievers' attack with two goals each.  Senior goalie Isabella Fontana made 11 saves, including all four free position shots by the hosts.
 
Delaware attempted 30 shots while allowing 22 by the visitors. The Blue Hens also won 11-of-18 draw controls.
 
UMBC (1-1) got off to a fantastic start as they held a 4-1 advantage at the conclusion of the first quarter. The Blue Hens got on the board first as Morgan Gore scored an unassisted goal just 1:59 into the contest.
 
The Retrievers, however, ripped off four consecutive tallies to take their largest lead of the game.  Senior attacker Mary Ellis found Bruce in front of the net for the equalizer at the 6:36 mark and junior midfielder Ria Lagdameo struck just thirty-two seconds later for an unassisted marker.
 
Staples made it 3-1 as she scored an unassisted goal on a woman up opportunity at the 3:55 mark.
 
Bruce capped the run with a sensational shot from the side that surprised Bearcats' goaltender Steph Marszal just twenty-two seconds before the buzzer.
 
Delaware (2-0) outscored UMBC by a 3-1 count in the second quarter to trim the deficit to 5-4 at halftime. Sophomore midfielder Lizzie Bateman scored her first career goal on a free position shot with 2:10 left in the period to give the Retrievers a 5-3 lead but Callie Drab answered with 1:21 left before intermission.
 
The Blue Hens blanked the visitors by a 3-0 margin in the third quarter to grab a 7-5 advantage. The hosts went ahead for good with 11:31 left on Keira Grant's second tally of the day.
 
Staples brought the Retrievers within 7-6 with an unassisted goal with 13:37 remaining but the hosts scored the final two goals to put the game away.
 
UMBC will host George Washington on Saturday at noon.