The Muhlenberg women's lacrosse team stumbled in its first game with a national ranking, falling 14-12 at Swarthmore.

The 23rd-ranked Mules (9-2, 1-2) had large advantages of 40-26 in shots and 20-7 in draw controls but were repeatedly stymied by the Garnet goalie, who made 19 saves.

Neither team led by more than a goal in the back-and-forth game until freshman Jane Sorger and junior Alyssa Hartnett scored 13 seconds apart early in the third quarter to give Muhlenberg a 7-5 lead. 

It was 8-6 before the Garnet (9-2, 2-1) went on a 5-0 run to take a three-goal edge into the final period. 

The Mules came back to tie, with junior Emma Youngling and senior Annalisa Bio scoring 24 seconds apart to make it 11-11 midway through the fourth quarter.

The teams traded the next two goals, but after freshman Taylor Dzama scored with 5:33 left, Muhlenberg was blanked the rest of the game.

Swarthmore led 13-12 with 2:18 remaining when the game was delayed by more than an hour due to lightning. Swarthmore had possession when play resumed and scored an insurance goal with under a minute on the clock.

Sorger finished with three goals for her fifth hat trick of the season. Hartnett notched a team-high five point on a goal and a career-high four assists. 

Youngling scored twice and also pulled in nine draws. Junior Lauren Moylan (pictured above) tied her career high with three ground balls.