The women’s lacrosse team evened its record yesterday with a hard-fought 14–13 win over the Bryant University Bulldogs.

Despite giving up the first goal, the Elis (2–2, 0–1 Ivy) responded with a four-goal run that allowed them to capture the lead, which they retained for the remainder of the game.

“I think we came out strong and created a large lead in the beginning, and while we allowed them to creep back into the game, we really hustled and were able to hold out and win,” midfielder Lauren Wackerle ’16 said.

While Yale had series of both four and five unanswered goals in the first half, Bryant (1–3, 0–0 NEC) came out firing in the second half, scoring six of the first seven goals to tie the game at 11–11 with 15 minutes left to play. After a seesaw battle, the game remained tied at 13–13 with nine minutes left in the second half. However, three minutes later, attacker Kerri Fleishhacker ’15 found the back of the net from a free-position shot for the game winner.

“Bryant did put pressure on us in the second half, but it wasn’t anything that we hadn’t seen before,” team captain Devon Rhodes ’13 said. “We were caught off guard by the changes they made, but were ultimately able to adjust and handle it.”

Fleishhacker led the scoring for the Elis with five goals, taking her tally to 11 on the season. Rhodes also contributed three goals and an assist, while attacker Jen DeVito ’14 provided four assists in the game.

“I think we showed a lot of composure today, keeping the lead even as Bryant gradually began close the gap,” DeVito said. “My teammates did a great job of working with each other to get open, and that’s what attributed to my assists.”

Freshmen also played an important role in the offense, with midfielders Kelly Anne Sherlock ’16 (3–0–3), Wackerle (1–0–1) and Nicole Daniggelis ’16 (1–0–1) each registering points.

Yale was able to win despite running into foul trouble with 22 fouls and two yellow cards, to Bryant’s 11 fouls and no yellow cards. The Bulldogs dominated in most other statistical categories including shots, clears, draw controls and turnovers. Attacker Haley Bloom and midfielder Lisa Vendel led the scoring for Bryant, while goaltender Brianna Watt registered six saves in the contest.

“I think Bryant came out with a fire in the second half, but we were able to stay calm and keep playing our game,” DeVito said. “I’m proud of the win today, and I hope that we can continue on this path when we play Hofstra on Saturday.”

Yale will look to continue winning this Saturday against Hofstra at 1 p.m.