MEADVILLE, Pa.— In the second game of their inaugural season and first game on the road, the Franciscan University women's lacrosse team battled the Allegheny College Gators, losing 23-0 in what should be one of their hardest tests of the season.

Having faced the well-established Lacrosse program of over ten years in a pre-season scrimmage, head coach Maura Conant said she expected Allegheny to be a challenging opponent for her young FUS team. The Lady Barons showed marked signs of improvement, however, doubling their offensive possession from their previous encounter with the Gators and finishing 5-5 in clear attempts.

"Honestly, the first half was very encouraging because we obviously flustered them by coming out really strong," Conant said. "The second half had to do with mental breakdowns, but that's growing pains. We're just trying to create everything into a learning experience."

Despite 57 minutes of hard playing time, Conant said the Lady Baron defense held strong, improving from their play against Alma College earlier in the week.

"Our midfielders and all of our defenders stuck with it. Our whole defense worked as a unit," Conant said.

FUS goalie Jenna Gottemoeller stepped up her play from the Lady Baron's first game, saving 12 shots, an increase of five from her first game. Conant said that she was particularly pleased with Gottemoeller's performance.

"Overall, that first half really showed what we can do, and although in the second half people got tired or had a little bit of a mental breakdown, it's valuable information, because we see what we need to work on for these next games where we'll be playing a lot of first and second year teams," Conant said, "The important thing to take away today is the experience that we're gaining, because iron sharpens iron, and we're not going to get better unless we play teams much better than we are."

The Lady Barons will next face Albion College at home on Sunday, March 3 at 1 pm.