The University of Redlands women's lacrosse team competed on the road for the first time in seven games and rallied back from a four-goal deficit to defeat the Poets of Whittier College by a score of 15-11 in Saturday's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match.

In a tightly contested first half, the Bulldogs trailed 3-7 with just under 16 minutes left on the clock. But Redlands stepped up with five unanswered netters through the final minute with freshman midfielder Jacky Craycraft (Lake Forest, CA) unleashing two goals during this stretch. In addition, senior midfielder Christy Smith (St. Louis Park, MN) found the back of the net once and supplied two assists.

Although Whittier responded with a late first-half goal to tie it up at eight, Redlands' surge of offense provided a slight edge in the long run, leading to a 7-3 advantage in the final stanza.

After trading goals to open the second period, the Bulldogs gained the upper hand when sophomore attack player Crystal Painter (Lake George, NY) and freshman midfielder KK McCaslin (Portland, OR) converted consecutive scoring opportunities. In addition to scoring on a free-position attempt, Painter found McCaslin on the go-ahead goal, making it 11-9.

From this point on, the Maroon and Gray maintained the lead and eventually secured a trio of unanswered goals in the final eight minute for the 15-11 victory. At 7:46, sophomore midfielder Katie Colasurdo (Eugene, OR) initiated this outburst, with junior midfielder Megan Prickett (Poway, CA) and Painter adding to the barrage of goals.

Overall, sophomore attack player Aimee Dewan (Alamo, CA) and McCaslin led the Bulldogs with a hat trick each, while Painter and Smith came up with two goals and three assists apiece.

Junior goalkeeper Ana Martinez (Pleasanton, CA) provided stellar play between the pipes, racking up 10 saves in 60 minutes of action.

Both teams took 25 shots in the contest while Whittier owned the draw-control battle with a 17-10 advantage. Redlands went 4-for-7 in free-position shots as the Poets missed their only chance.

Redlands (10-1, 2-1 SCIAC) heads to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. showdown against the Sagehens.