FAIRFAX, Va. — Five goals from Kate Fuhrman helped lift Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse to a narrow 16-15 Atlantic 10 road victory over George Mason on Saturday afternoon.
 
Fuhrman scored the go-ahead goal with 7:39 remaining in the fourth quarter as Saint Joseph's (3-5, 2-0 A-10) held off a late push from George Mason (5-4, 1-1 A-10) at George Mason Stadium.
 
Saint Joseph's jumped out to a fast start, scoring four of the first five goals and building a 7-4 lead after the opening quarter. Megan Sanelli completed her hat trick just 1:36 into the second quarter, and her fourth goal helped cap a 3-0 run that extended the Hawks' lead to 11-5.
 
George Mason answered with two of the final three goals of the half to trim the deficit, but Saint Joseph's still carried a 12-7 advantage into the break.
 
The Patriots mounted a third-quarter surge, scoring three straight goals to pull within 12-10 before Fuhrman struck again on a woman-up opportunity off an assist from Olivia McCloskey to give the Hawks a 13-10 lead.
 
George Mason continued to chip away, scoring goals on either side of the third-quarter break to close within one. Emma Yoder answered for Saint Joseph's to push the lead to 14-12 with 12:56 remaining, but the Patriots responded with back-to-back goals to tie the game at 14-14 with 8:34 left.
 
The Hawks quickly reclaimed the advantage when Fuhrman finished a feed from Yoder less than a minute later. Savannah Saunders added an insurance goal with 4:50 remaining off an assist from Sanelli.
 
George Mason's Kate Anders pulled the Patriots within one with 53 seconds left, but Saint Joseph's controlled the ensuing draw and ran out the clock to secure the victory.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Kate Fuhrman led the Hawks with five goals.
• Fuhrman surpassed the 100-goal mark, becoming the 13th player in program history to reach the milestone.
• Megan Sanelli recorded four goals and two assists.
• Emma Yoder added three goals and an assist.
• Alexa Capozzoli moved into sole possession of third place in program history with 211 career points, finishing with a goal and an assist.
• Riley Bittinger, Ellie Webb, and Savannah Saunders each added a goal.
• Goalkeeper Liana Moli recorded three saves to move to 3–5 on the season.
• Saint Joseph's controlled the tempo, outshooting George Mason 39–26 and winning the draw control battle 22–11.
• Kaitlin Nieczpiel set a career high with 12 draw controls, one shy of the program record, becoming the seventh Hawk to record double-digit draws in a game.
• The Hawks have now won five straight and eight of the last nine meetings with George Mason.
• Saint Joseph's has also won seven consecutive Atlantic 10 games dating back to last season.

 
UP NEXT
Saint Joseph's continues Atlantic 10 play on Wednesday, March 18, hosting George Washington with a first draw scheduled for 2 p.m.