LEWISBURG, Pa. – Carol Donohue (West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon) continued her early season scoring spree with another four goals and an assist, but Duquesne spoiled the effort by scoring the game's final four goals in a 12-9 verdict at cold, blustery Graham Field on Thursday evening.

Kathleen McNish helped Duquesne avenge a home loss to Bucknell last season with a two-goal, five-assist night, while Ashley Wood scored three goals. The Dukes had already suffered losses to the likes of Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Vanderbilt, but the outplayed the Bison in the last 10 minutes of a tight game to improve to 3-6 on the season.

Donohue was coming off a monster nine-point effort in Saturday's win at Lafayette, and she entered the game ranked second in the nation in scoring averaging 6.0 points per game. She scored twice in each half in this one and now has 23 points in four games.

Neither team led by more than two goals for the first 56 minutes. The Bison (2-2) used an early 3-0 run, capped by a pretty move to split a double team by Alison Heffernan (Malvern, Pa./Agnes Irwin), to grab a 3-1 lead. The Dukes answered with three in a row of their own, and the lead changed hands twice more before Duquesne Sarah Cates gave the visitors a 6-5 halftime lead with a tally with 56 seconds left.

Duquesne went up by two for the first time when McNish scored 3:25 into the second half. But Bucknell controlled the next 10 minutes of play, outscoring the Dukes 4-1 to retake the lead. Donohue scored twice in succession, the second coming after a slick pass from Sarah Collins (Goldens Bridge, N.Y./John Jay) on an 8-meter re-start.

After Ashley Wood gave Duquense the lead back, Heffernan made about a 50-yard run on a fastbreak, and after faking a pass took the shot herself and tied the game at 8. Just 1:33 later, Paige Kasschau (Rockville Centre, N.Y./South Side) came from behind the cage slipped a shot past Liz Walker before tumbling to the ground.

Bucknell had three more possessions with a chance to extend the lead, but Bonnie Buechel (South Orange, N.J./Columbia) shot just wide on a free-position shot, and the Bison fumbled two passes out front leading to turnovers. Duquesne capitalized on the second miscue, when Liz Fey scored with 9:49 remaining to tie the game at 9-apiece.

Bucknell won the ensuing draw, but a Duquesne double team forced another of Bucknell's 18 turnovers, leading to Janna Faulkner's tiebreaking goal with 7:09 left. McNish added an insurance goal 59 seconds later, and Fey put it away with her second goal of the game with 4:04 left.

Most of Duquense's scoring chances were generated from behind the goal. All five of McNish's assists and both of Meghan Freserick's helpers came on passes from behind for point-blank tap-ins.

Bison goalie Alyssa DeLorenz (Garland, Texas/Plano East) finished with 10 saves, while Walker had six for the Dukes, including two tough ones with Duquesne up by two goals in the closing minutes.

Duquesne won 13 draws to Bucknell's 10 and had four fewer turnovers in the windy conditions. Lauren Deitrich (Collegeville, Pa./Hill School) led the Bison with four caused turnovers, one more than her league-leading average, while Buechel led the team with three draw controls.

Bucknell has a short turnaround before facing defending Patriot League champion Holy Cross on Saturday at noon in Worcester, Mass.

2008-03-20