Jaqueline Wallat

Allegheny College scored with 10:43 remaining in regulation to go ahead for the first time during the second half, and that 14-13 score held up as the final, as the Gators were able to effectively run out the clock and knock off home-standing College of Wooster in a back-and-forth North Coast Athletic Conference women's lacrosse tilt Thursday night at John P. Papp Stadium.

It marked Allegheny's first victory in the teams' all-time series – a span of 25 games.

Neither squad ever led by more than two goals. Wooster (9-4, 4-1 NCAC), which can still earn the top seed in next week's NCAC Tournament with a victory Saturday, had three two-goal leads, including 13-11 at the 19:23 mark of the second half. A bit later, Allegheny (11-5, 3-2 NCAC)  rattled off three goals during a 3:32 stretch, including Jensen Paterson's seventh of the game.

With the lead in hand, the Gators attempted to play "keep away" the final 10 minutes. The Fighting Scots did have a few offensive chances, but could not net the equalizer.

In a high-scoring first half, Wooster had the biggest run of the game, scoring four straight to turn a 7-5 deficit into a 9-7 lead. Three of those four goals were on free-position attempts, with Jaqueline Wallat, Eileen Barrer, and Clare Nelson-Johnson converting. Following a couple Allegheny scores, the Scots added one more before the break for a 10-9 advantage.

For the game, Barrer paced Wooster with five goals, while Madison Carey, Nina Dine, and Nelson-Johnson contributed two apiece. Dine had a beautiful assist to Barrer on one for a three-point day.

Paterson, the NCAC's top scorer, registered eight points (7 goals, 1 assist).

On Saturday, the Scots go to Denison University (10-4, 5-0 NCAC), with the winner to earn the No. 1 seed for the conference tourney.