A battle between two nationally ranked teams usually does not fail to live up to the hype of being a tightly contested matchup. Going into the game, the mission is clear: come away with the win against a top conference opponent on their home field.

Going on the road and stealing a win in unfamiliar territory is especially challenging, as the New Haven lacrosse team dropped a back-and-forth matchup with Saint Anselm College, losing 15-13 to put an end to their five-game winning streak. The Chargers kept pace with the Hawks’ high-powered offense but were unable to mount a late comeback and come away with their sixth consecutive win.

Saint Anselm attacker Lexi Palmisano struck first in the game’s opening minutes after the Hawks fired three consecutive shots to start the game. After winning the draw, Saint Anselm kept up heavy pressure and capitalized on another scoring chance with a goal from midfielder Alison Ferullo to take an early 2-0 lead.

New Haven cut the deficit in half with a goal from midfielder Justine Doyle and continued to get shots to the net, but could not come up with the equalizer halfway through the first quarter.

Ferullo continued to dominate the Chargers’ defense with three more goals in just two minutes of play to give Saint Anselm a 5-2 lead. The quarter came to a close with the Hawks leading by two after New Haven attacker Cameryn Antler scored on a free-position shot for her second of five goals on the afternoon.

After Saint Anselm tallied the first score of the second quarter, New Haven chipped away at the lead with back-to-back goals from Antler and attacker Savannah Ernst to make it a one-point game.

Palmisano got the Hawks back on the board to add to their lead, followed by another score from attacker Taylor Cobain that stretched their lead to three with eight minutes left in the first half.

New Haven answered right back with three consecutive goals to close out the half with scores from attacker Marielle Colalillo on a man-up advantage, with Ernst and Antler tying the game at eight.

Saint Anselm scored first in the second half to reclaim their lead, but New Haven applied heavy pressure to the Hawks’ defense with two shots before midfielder Gianna Caprioli tied the game at nine on a free-position shot and took the lead just 34 seconds later on a goal from attacker Raegan Bailey.

The Hawks closed out the third quarter with four unanswered goals that gave them a 13-10 lead. Attacker Jess Sullivan tallied three of them as their defense kept New Haven from generating any scoring chances that would allow them back in the game.

Colalillo and Antler continued their dominant game on the attack as they scored three consecutive goals to knot the score at 13 with 5:26 left to play. The Chargers’ offense kept heavy pressure on Saint Anselm as they looked to complete the comeback and take the huge conference matchup on the road.

In the final three minutes of play, Saint Anselm’s offense proved to be the game’s deciding factor as they netted two goals to take a late lead. After the goals, the Hawks maintained possession of the ball and put an end to New Haven’s winning streak with a back-and-forth 15-13 win.

New Haven currently ranks sixth in the Northeast-10 (NE-10) standings with two games left in the regular season. Both remaining games will be on their home turf at Kathy Zolad Stadium as they look to secure a spot in the playoffs, taking on Saint Michael’s College at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, April 26.