WASHINGTON - The American University women's lacrosse team (6-5, 1-2 PL) kept No. 11 Loyola Maryland (7-3, 3-0 PL) within reach for much of the contest but couldn't quite keep pace with the Greyhound's offensive tempo as the Eagles fell at home, 17-9. HOW IT HAPPENED Casey Harkins stepped up in a big way for the Eagles, taking over after the Loyola defense limited opportunities for AU's leading scorers, Emma Vinall and Kendall Goldblum. Harkins demolished her previous career-high (2g) with four goals to lead the Eagles. She also pitched in one of the team's two assists on the day to close with a game-high five points, tying her career-best from the Bucknell game. Leah Brennan also worked as one of the key players offensively, scoring her third hat trick of the season and adding the team's other assist for four points. She also pulled down four draw controls and picked up a ground ball. Casey Aguilar-Gervase guided the Eagles from the backline and was an integral presence in transition as AU completed 20 of 21 clears, including a perfect 10-for-10 in the first half. Emma Vinall and Amanda Medjid earned one goal each while Kendall Goldblum pulled down a game-high five draw controls. Goalkeeper Fiona Geier picked up a team-high four ground balls and came away with 10 saves in her 60 minutes of play. Eleven players contributed to Loyola's final scoresheet, led by a three-goal effort from Emily Cooper. The Greyhounds had assists on 11 of their 17 goals and capitalized on two of their three free position shots. AU held the advantage in ground balls, 20-19, but Loyola led in draw controls, 15-12, and shots, 34-28. Loyola goalkeeper Kady Glynn earned 12 saves on the day. The Greyhounds were the first to get on the board less than a minute into play, but AU responded just over a minute later after Brennan fed in a nice pass to Medjid who scored the equalizer. The Eagles were put on their heels, though, after a 4-0 Loyola run built a five-goal gap with 19 minutes remaining in the half. Key goals from Brennan and Harkins kept Loyola at bay until the final 3:25 when the Greyhounds netted back-to-back goals to take a 9-4 lead heading into the break. AU picked up the tempo in the opening minutes of the second half as back-to-back goals from Harkins and Brennan cut the Greyhounds' lead back down to three. The Eagles struggled to maintain the pace midway through the half, though, as another 4-0 run from Loyola put the Greyhounds out of reach. Harkins' fourth and final goal with 8:25 left on the clock ended the Greyhounds run, and she pitched in the assist to Vinall for AU's final goal of the day. The Greyhounds netted the final two goals of the game to close with their largest lead of the game at 17-9. NEXT UP The Eagles will be back on the road for a two-game stretch with contests at Lafayette on Saturday, March 30, and Boston University on Saturday, April 6. AU will return home on Saturday, April 13 for a 1 p.m. draw against Colgate. For the latest on American University Lacrosse, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter @AU_Lacrosse.