Ewing, NJ… The College of New Jersey lacrosse team won a match-up of perennial Division III powers Tuesday night, defeating Middlebury College 10-6. The fourth ranked Lions now sit at 7-1, while the second ranked Panthers fall to 6-1.
 
The Panthers jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead on a pair of man-up goals from Emma McDonagh and Erin Nicholas.
 
The Lions responded with a trio of goals of their own. Kathleen Jaeger (Whitehouse Station, NJ/Hunterdon Central) scored than found Olivia Cleale (Yardley, PA/Notre Dame (NJ)) before Cleale scored with the extra man advantage to put the Lions out in front.
 
McDonagh scored her second of the game with just over a minute left in the first half to send the teams into the break tied at 3.
 
After the teams swapped a pair of goals to open the second half, Jaeger again found the scoring column kicking off a second three goal run that gave the Lions the lead for good. The Panthers would close the gap to 8-6, but Jaeger completed her hat trick and Amanda Muller (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) notched her second of the game to produce the final.
 
Miranda Chrone (Moorestown, NJ/Moorestown) made four save to pick up the win.
 
Elizabeth Morrison (Stonington, CT/Stonington) had one of the biggest games of her career, causing a career-high 10 turnovers and scooping a career-high nine ground balls.
 
The Lions will have little time to celebrate, as they welcome defending champions and top ranked Gettysburg College to Lions Stadium Thursday night at 7:00 PM for a rematch of the 2017 national title game.