GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Swarthmore College women's lacrosse team suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday, falling at No. 6 Gettysburg College, 18-7, in the Centennial Conference opener.

Helen Stafford reached the 300 career saves milestone with nine stops and a team-high five ground balls against the nationally-ranked Bullets. The senior is five saves away from moving into the program's top-10 all-time leader board. 
 
It was a defensive first quarter with both teams netting just one goal. The Garnet took a 2-1 lead in the second but the Bullets came back with nine unanswered tallies and led comfortably the rest of the way.
 
Isabela Bloomquist and Aubree Daugherty both recorded a hat trick for Swarthmore. Mia Holland led the squad with seven draw controls.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Bloomquist opened the scoring at the 11:20 mark of the first quarter to put the Garnet ahead 1-0. Gettysburg tied it with 4:24 remaining. Each team managed just three shots on goal during the period.
 
- In the second, Gillian Will scored on a woman-up opportunity to put Swarthmore back in front with 14:35 on the clock. However, a shorthanded goal by the Bullets just over three minutes later sparked a 9-0 surge by the home team that ended with 3:01 to go before halftime.
 
- Bloomquist broke the Gettysburg run with her second of the day at the 1:38 mark but the Bullets found the back of the net with just six seconds left to take an 11-3 advantage into the break.
 
- Gettysburg continued to control play in the third, outshooting the Garnet 8-1 and scoring twice to go up 10 (13-3). Daugherty beat the goalkeeper on Swarthmore's lone shot of the period (2:27) before adding two more goals early in the fourth (13:54, 12:29) to pick up the natural hat trick and get her team within seven (13-6).
 
- The Bullets put an end to the Garnet's comeback attempt with five consecutive markers that ended with 3:02 to play. Bloomquist registered her third goal of the contest just before the final horn.
 
GARNET LEADERS
Points: Bloomquist, Daugherty 3
Goals: Bloomquist, Daugherty 3
Assists: Holland, Abigail Love, Zoe Crawford 1
Ground Balls: Stafford 5
Caused Turnovers: Stafford, Holland 2
Draw Controls: Holland 7
Saves: Stafford 9
 
UP NEXT
Swarthmore (6-1, 0-1 Centennial) hosts Neumann University on Wednesday for its last non-conference tilt of the season.