AVE MARIA, Fla. – A dominant second-half surge from Bella Louwerse helped Lawrence Tech women's lacrosse chip away at an early deficit, but the Blue Devils' comeback bid came up short in a 12-9 loss to Ave Maria at Gyrene Field.

Ave Maria used a fast start and a decisive first quarter to seize control, scoring five times in the opening 15 minutes, building a 9-4 advantage at halftime. Lawrence Tech found its rhythm after the break, outscoring the Gyrenes 5-3 over the final two quarters behind Louwerse's finishing and improved execution in settled offense, but the early margin proved too much to overcome.

Louwerse led the Blue Devils with five goals on six shots, converting on every shot she put on frame. The attacker/midfielder opened the scoring for Lawrence Tech with a first-quarter man-up, then fueled the second-half push with three more goals in the third and early fourth quarters. Her free-position strike in the third cut the deficit to 9-5, and a man-up goal, assisted by defender/midfielder Jocelyn Vander Zwaag, drew the Blue Devils within 10-7.

Lawrence Tech continued to apply pressure in the fourth quarter. Louwerse netted her fifth of the day just 13 seconds into the period, finishing off a feed from attacker Alyson Walendzak to trim the Ave Maria lead to 11-8. After the hosts answered, the Blue Devils capitalized again on special situations, as midfielder McKenna VanZant converted a late man-up opportunity off another assist from Walendzak to close the scoring at 12-9.

Attacker Morgan Waligora added a well-rounded performance for Lawrence Tech with two goals and one assist, scoring back-to-back tallies in the second quarter to pull the Blue Devils. Lawrence Tech finished with nine goals and four assists on 16 shots on goal, going 4-for-3 on free-position opportunities and taking advantage of their power-play chances throughout the afternoon. The Blue Devils also completed 14 clears, matching Ave Maria's total in that category, and limited themselves to just eight fouls in the contest.

Defensively, Lawrence Tech goalkeepers combined for seven saves against 31 Ave Maria shots, while the Blue Devils' ride helped force 17 Gyrene turnovers. However, Ave Maria's advantage on the draw—17 draw controls to Lawrence Tech's five—created extra possessions that proved critical, particularly during the hosts' 5-1 first quarter and 9-4 first-half cushion. Lawrence Tech also collected 14 ground balls in the game as the defense settled in over the final three quarters, holding Ave Maria to just three goals in the second half.

Lawrence Tech will look to build on its second-half performance and the strong showings from Louwerse and Waligora as the Blue Devils continue their southern road swing. The team is scheduled to visit Keiser University on March 11 in West Palm Beach, Fla., before returning to conference play later in March.