Highlighted by career-high days from senior captain Ashtyn Hiron and freshman Sarah Elms, Jacksonville University women's lacrosse battled to the last minute Wednesday afternoon but ultimately fell to Dartmouth University, 17-16, at D.B. Milne Field. Hiron and Elms combined for 11 of the Dolphins' 17 goals, as Hiron finished the day with a career-best seven points behind 6 goals and 1 assist. Elms, the reigning ASUN Player of the Week, totaled six points (5g, 1a). Additionally, Hiron added a team-high five draw controls and picked up a pair of ground balls in the effort, while Elms posted a ground ball and caused one turnover. "It was a very competitive game. We fought our way back in when we were down, 13-9. We had a good run and we fought back," stated Head Coach Mindy McCord. "They [Dartmouth] couldn't stop Ashtyn and Sarah. They were high performers on the offensive end, and got some draws as well. Ashtyn was a very high performer today; she did an excellent job and had five draws too. We needed to get more draws, but otherwise it was a good team effort." An evenly-matched inaugural meeting between the Dolphins (5-3) and the Big Green (5-1) was a treat for fans on a blustery day at D.B. Milne Field. Though the Dolphins held a slight advantage in ground balls (20-19) and turned the ball over six times less than the visitors (12-18), Dartmouth was able to get one more shot off (36-35) and three more on cage (28-25). The difference-maker, however, was the Big Green's draw specialist Kathryn Giroux, who won 19 of Dartmouth's 28 draws compared to Jacksonville's seven. "They have an exceptional draw specialist, who is an All-American caliber player, and that's how they won the game," added McCord. Neither side was able to spark a scoring run in the first half as the game deadlocked on six different occasions before Dartmouth posted back-to-back goals to tie the game at 6 (0:53), then gain the lead, 7-6, (0:19) heading into the break. In the first half alone, Hiron tallied three goals, including back-to-back marks with 3:26 and 1:38 to go, respectively. The Perth, Western Australia native showcased her talent as she shoveled in a precision pass from fellow captain junior Lillie Miller, and finished the shot low-to-low between the Big Green goalkeeper's ankles to tie the game up at 5-5. Jacksonville wasted no time getting on the board after halftime as the freshman duo of Jenny Kinsey (28:53) and Alyssa Arnold (28:40) posted back-to-back goals just 13 seconds apart to push the Dolphins ahead, 8-7. A 5-0 run by Dartmouth right after surged the visitors ahead, 12-8, but the streak was broken as Hiron connected with Elms with 20:13 showing to spark a Dolphin run of their own. One more Big Green tally on a free-position extended Dartmouth's lead to 13-9 – its largest of the game – with 19:37 to go. Not to be deterred, Jacksonville took off on a 6-0 streak, with Hiron notching three of the first four goals and Elms capping the run with back-to-back marks, to send the hosts up two, 15-13, with 7:41 left to play. As Dartmouth pushed to tie the game on back-to-back goals from Elizabeth Mastrio at 6:50 and 6:04, Jacksonville saw Elms add a clutch, would-be game winner with just 4:52 to go. In heartbreaking and seemingly karmic fashion for defeating Ohio State by the same score in overtime nearly a month before, the Dolphins were unable to stop a pair of Dartmouth shots in the final 1:24 as the visitors escaped Duval with a narrow 17-16 win. Finding the silver lining, McCord added, "We learned more about game management in tight games. We had a total team effort; I think they really played team-oriented. Playing opponents like this will help us next month as we head into conference play and keep our play elevated." Freshman Megan Prescott picked up a team-high six ground balls and caused two turnovers, while junior Mackenzie Groark caused three turnovers to lead the team. Junior Kristen Brunoforte and graduate Emily Poelma split time in the crease and combined for 11 saves, eight of which Brunoforte made in the first half alone. Poelma shouldered the loss to fall to 2-2 on the year. Tori Chanenchuck (3g, 3a) and Ellie Carson (4g, 2a) led Dartmouth with six points each, while Giroux recorded 19 draw controls. Keeper Kiera Vrindten recorded nine saves – seven in the first half – to pick up the win. The Dolphins next embark on a four-game road swing and open ASUN Conference action next Thursday, March 29 at Furman. Opening draw is set for 6 p.m.