NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara women's lacrosse team fell, 16-12, on Sunday afternoon at Niagara Field. Rachel MacCheyne led the Purple Eagles with five points (2 G, 3 A), while Caroline Crump and Hailey D'Hont each scored three goals. Game Recap After two early goals from Marquette made it 2-0, Niagara came right back with three of their own in a span of 2:30. Shea Swartwout put the Purple Eagles on the board first. Crump then scored two times in 25 seconds, the second of which came on a free-position attempt. D'Hont put Niagara back up, 4-3, with a shot from the far right wing. Two goals from the Golden Eagles put them in front, but Alexis Morales responded with a tying goal halfway through the first to level it at 5-5. Rachel MacCheyne's first goal of the game came with five seconds remaining in the half. The team's leading scorer converted a free-position attempt to stop a 5-0 run by Marquette. Alex Leo scored the Purple Eagles' first goal of the second half with 15:07 on the clock. With MacCheyne charging up the left flank, Leo got positioning right in front of the net. MacCheyne passed the ball to Leo, who immediately put the shot over the goaltender's shoulder while under heavy pressure from the Marquette defense. D'Hont scored less than a minute later to cut the deficit to 13-8. Crump netted her third with just under eight minutes left in regulation by firing home a shot from the near left side. MacCheyne made it 15-10 with 3:58 to play by flying up the left side and planting a shot over the goalkeeper's left shoulder. With 50 seconds left, D'hont took a touch pass from Crump and lined it into the net to record the hat trick. Audrey Fithall added her name to the scoresheet 11 seconds later. With the Purple Eagles racing downfield, Fithall flung a mid-range shot into the mesh to make it 16-12. Defensive Spotlight Lauren Paul picked up three ground balls and forced one turnover. Coach's Corner Head coach Wendy Stone: "Today was a good effort, especially on the defensive end of the field. We made strides and got stops. We still need to clean things up a bit heading into MAAC play. We will work to be better next time out." Up Next The Purple Eagles will have five days of rest before welcoming Monmouth in for the conference opener. First draw from Niagara Field will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 23. Stay connected with Niagara Women's Lacrosse on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow Niagara Athletics all year long on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and purpleeagles.com.