MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- They gave it their all, but it ended in heartbreak. Senior Day for the Central Michigan lacrosse team ended with a 10-9 Southern Conference loss to rival Detroit Mercy on Saturday at the CMU Lacrosse/Soccer Complex. The Chippewas finished the regular season 7-10, 2-3 SoCon and will begin play in the league tournament on Thursday, May 2, in Greenville, S.C. Detroit Mercy is 8-9, 4-1. HOW IT HAPPENED The Titans scored five consecutive goals, a surge that began late in the first half and ended early in the second, to seize a 9-5 lead under six minutes into the second half. The Chippewas put together a run of their own, scoring four times in an 11-minute stretch of the second half to pull to 10-9 with 6-plus minutes remaining. It was the final goal of the game. The Chippewas called timeout with just over a minute left and set up a play, but Jocelyne Lemay's shot was just high of the net as time expired. "(The play design) was something we've used in past situations where we need a goal, nothing that's unfamiliar with us," CMU coach Sara Tisdale said. "Unfortunately, I don't think we made the right reads, that's not on anyone in particular. I think the opportunity was there to (score) and go into overtime. At the end of day, the full effort taught us that we need stay strong on the defensive end from the very beginning." LEADERS Natalie Karlen scored four goals to lead the Chippewas, while Shannon Doyle and Jessica Schuchardt had two each. Schuchardt added three assists. Dominique Hamman went the distance in goal for CMU, matching her career high with 17 saves. The senior finished with a .630 save percentage. SENIOR DAY Before the game, the lacrosse team had an emotional ceremony to honor the senior class, and celebrated Team 1. The seniors who are graduating took a leap of faith four years ago and invested a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get the then-brand-new program to where it is today. "You saw the emotion from the team, from the families, and from our staff," Tisdale said. "It was great having everyone on the field today, and I'm thankful for their faith in this program and the process. "I'm really proud of them as people first. They're outstanding young women. I use the word proud, I don't know if there's another word you can use. We're just grateful for their time, energy, and effort they gave." Said Lemay, one of those 11 seniors, and a team captain: "I think (this experience) was a wave of emotion. Seeing how much our team and our coaches appreciate us, all the effort they've put in this week to make us feel special was huge for us. Walking down that tunnel with our team supporting us, it was hard but it was very nice to see. Everyone on and off the field are always there supporting us, and I would not take my teammates for granted for a second." Said senior Natalie Bloniarz: "We just felt the love for the whole entire day from when we first got to the field, until now, it was an exciting but very emotional day. These girls are my best friends, and that's for a reason. They care, they love each other on and off the field. We're there for the sad times, and we're there for the good times."