ALLENTOWN, PA - A scoreless second half doomed the Purchase College women's lacrosse team Friday afternoon, as the Panthers fell in a heartbreaker at Cedar Crest College, 7-6.

Purchase (1-3) opened the contest with back-to-back goals from Madison Buttice (JR/Bethpage, NY) and Brienne Westfall (JR/Grand Island, NY), before the Falcons tied things up later in the first quarter with two goals of their own.

As the teams moved to the second quarter, the Panthers started to put some distance between themselves and the hosts, outscoring Cedar Crest 4-1 in the period.

Katie Borger (SR/Bellmore, NY) tallied the first, while Westfall added the second and Buttice notched the final two in the frame.

At the break, the guests led by the score of 6-3.

However, once the teams returned from the halftime cool down, the second half was all Cedar Crest (1-2).

Over the third and fourth quarters, the Falcons managed four-straight goals, all the while halting the Panthers' offense in its tracks. As a result, the hosts outpaced Purchase 4-0 in the second half to steal the game by the final score of 7-6. 

Despite the loss, Purchase won most of the battles on the day, grabbing more ground balls, completing more clear attempts and winning the draw control battle against the Falcons.

Individually, Buttice finished with four points (3g, 1a), eight draw controls, four ground balls and two caused turnovers. Westfall also tallied four points (2g, 2a) and recorded three ground balls. 

In goal, Casandra Schmoger (JR/Islip, NY) collected 13 saves, three ground balls and two caused turnovers in the losing effort.

Up next for the women's lacrosse team is the start of Skyline Conference play, as its welcomes Mount Saint Vincent on April 1st. That contest is set to begin at 7 p.m. and you can follow it here.