Trailing 5-0 with just over six minutes gone by and down 8-6 at the half, the Belmont Abbey women's lacrosse team outscored Pfeiffer 5-2 in the second half as the Crusaders upset the seventh-ranked Falcons 11-10 this afternoon in the 2008 season opener. The Abbey is now 1-0 overall and 1-0 in Conference Carolinas, while the Falcons are now 1-1 overall and 0-1 in Conference Carolinas.

Pfeiffer scored the first five goals of the game in the opening 7:16 before the Abbey got on the board with 21:47 left in the half as Laurie Jordan scored the first of her four goals. After the two teams traded goals, Jordan and Meghan Darley scored back-to-back to pull the Crusaders within three at 7-4 with 5:04 remaining. Pfeiffer's Heidi Karaszkiewicz found the back of the net on a free position shot with 2:02 left to extend the lead to 8-4, but the Abbey answered with goals by Darley and another by Samantha Hooker with 17 seconds left to cut the Falcons advantage to 8-6 at the break.

The Abbey opened the second half by scoring two unanswered goals, one by Jordan and the other by Brianna Dignan to knot the game at eight with 20:54 left. After a Pfeiffer goal with 18:57 remaining gave it the lead right back, Tara Chmil and Dignan scored just 1:33 apart, with each assisting the other on those goals. Dignan's tally came with 6:07 left and it gave the Crusaders the lead for good.

Kerri Gut extended the lead to two with 1:32 left, and Pfeiffer answered with a free position shot with 1:11 left to cut the lead to one, but Chmil won the draw control as the Abbey ran out the clock to earn the win.

Jordan led all players with four goals, with Dignan and Darley both registering a pair. Chimil led the way with four assists. Karaszkiewicz and Ellie Fenton both finished with two. Krissy Bentolila led the Falcons with three assists.

The Abbey is back in action Sunday afternoon at 2:00 when it hosts Lees-McRae.