BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C.— In a non-conference contest versus the Alma College Scots at Pulliam Stadium, the Montreat women's lacrosse team fell narrowly, moving to 4-2 on the year with the 25-20 defeat.
 
Alma (4-0) utilized early draw controls to go up initially in the game. The Scots, who won eight of the 12 draws in the opening frame, jumped out to a 4-2 advantage midway through the first quarter. Dovie Yates, Kate Gauntlett and Aleea Bone led a 3-0 Montreat run to put the Cavaliers up 5-4, but the Scots responded to lead 6-5 after 15 minutes.
 
In a tight opening half where neither team led by more than three tallies, Gauntlett and Izzy Knight pulled the Cavs level at seven before Yates finished off a feed from Hannah Jarboe to give the Cavaliers an 8-7 edge over the visitors. The teams then traded seven straight goals in the second frame, a period in which Montreat outscored Alma 9-7 to lead 14-13 on the scoreboard at the intermission.
 
Through 20 minutes, the Cavaliers utilized stout defensive pressure to force 17 Alma turnovers, while only committing 10 themselves. The Cavs also held the edge in attempted shots (24-16). Gauntlett captained the Montreat offense with four goals and two assists, while Knight recorded four scores and Yates added a first-half hat trick.
 
The third quarter proved to be the difference in the game as the Scots began to connect offensively and pierced the Cavaliers' defense. Following a Mina Hicks goal with 1:25 left in the second that gave the home team their largest advantage of the contest (14-11), Alma went on a 7-0 stretch, eventually outscoring the Cavs 7-2 in the period to lead 20-16 with 15 minutes remaining in the competition.
 
In the final quarter, Montreat used Gauntlett's seventh goal to get within three (20-17) only 37 seconds into the period; however, a trio of Alma responses gave the visitors their biggest lead of the game (23-17) immediately after the Cavaliers' score. Gauntlett's eighth of the game and 34^th of the year, coupled with goals from Bone and Jarboe, weren't enough to complete a comeback as the Cavs dropped the matchup by five.
 
Six different Cavaliers registered at least two points on the afternoon, led by Gauntlett's 10 points (eight goals; two assists). Gauntlett now leads the NAIA in points (49) and goals (34). Knight finished with her four goals and picked up an assist, while Yates notched a hat trick to go with her pair of helpers.
 
Women's lacrosse ends its three-game homestand with a conference battle against St. Andrews University on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.