What a difference a year makes!

The Muhlenberg women's lacrosse team put down an early-season marker by going to 17th-ranked Rowan and coming home with a 13-11 win. In last year's matchup between the two teams, the Profs breezed to a 17-6 victory - the Mules' only loss to a non-Centennial Conference opponent since the start of the 2022 season.

The win was the first for Muhlenberg against a nationally ranked opponent since a 13-12 defeat of No. 23 Haverford in 2019, and the first against a team in the top 20 since an epic 8-7 upset of top-ranked Gettysburg in 2017.

Rowan (1-1), which reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament and was undefeated at home last year, won the opening draw and scored on the first shot of the game, just 42 seconds in. 

But 1-0 was the only deficit the Mules (3-0) would face. They scored the next four goals to take a 4-1 lead and kept their composure after the Profs rallied to tie the game at 6-all late in the first half.

Goals by freshman Samantha Kalinoglu and senior Annalisa Bio, both assisted by freshman Jane Sorger, in a span of 41 seconds gave Muhlenberg the lead for good at 8-6.

The Mules entered the fourth quarter with just a one-goal lead and stayed ahead the entire period, largely due to the play of senior Meaghan Haughney, who made seven saves in the final frame. Three of her saves came on potential game-tying shots, and two came on free-position attempts.

Haughney finished with 16 saves, one short of her career high.

Junior Alyssa Hartnett (pictured above) scored four goals, including a big insurance tally with 2:55 remaining. Junior Emma Youngling (three goals, one assists) and senior Ava Milia (two goals, two assists) also recorded four points, with Youngling adding eight draw controls.