NORTHFIELD, Vt. - With the top spot in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) on the line, Emmanuel women's lacrosse came out with a 15-10 victory over the Norwich Cadets on Tuesday afternoon on Sabine Field at Haynes Family Stadium.

The Cadets saw their 12-game winning streak come to an end as the Saints secured the top spot in the GNAC North. Emmanuel moves to 11-6 (10-1 GNAC, 6-1 GNAC North) in the win, while the Cadets drop to 14-2 (10-1 GNAC, 6-1 GNAC North). The Saints head-to-head victory over Norwich gives Emmanuel the top spot in the North Division.

The Cadets matched their conference rivals goal-for-goal through the first half, but a second-half surge by Emmanuel proved decisive.  Despite the loss, Norwich clinched the No. 2 seed in the North Division and will host Dean College, the South Division's No. 3 seed, in the GNAC Quarterfinals on Saturday. The Saints will wait for the winner of a GNAC Play-In Round Game on Thursday before finding out their opponent for the quarterfinals on Saturday.

Heading to the second half tied 8-8, the Saints outscored the Cadets 4-2 in the third quarter, as they began to pull away. Senior Dejaliyah Srimouksavanh scored a pair for the Saints in the third quarter with fellow senior Rachel Canedy and junior Madeline Wright adding one goal each, giving Emmanuel a 12-10 lead.

The Saints defense locked in for the final 15 minutes, allowing just two shots on goal in the final frame, while forcing Norwich into six turnovers. Offensively, first-years Emilia Ferraro and Ella Stein opened the scoring in the fourth, boosting the Emmanuel edge to 14-10. The scoring slowed as the quarter continued until Canedy capped off a 3-0 final quarter with 38 seconds remaining, as the Saints clinched the top seed in the GNAC North with a 15-10 win.

Srimouksavanh scored a game-high four goals to go with one assist, three caused turnovers, and three ground balls. Canedy added a hat trick for the Saints, while Stein, Wright, and junior Avery Robillard each scored a pair. Senior goalie Isabella Thomas made six stops for the Saints and held Norwich scoreless over the final 20:32, improving to 11-6 with the win.

Eight different Cadets found the back of the net, led by Caitlyn Fielder and Breanna Ricker, who scored two goals apiece. Fielder added a pair of assists for a team-high four points. Junior Bailey Manning-Ingala made 11 saves for Norwich but falls to 10-2 in the loss.

** Portions of this release courtesy Norwich Athletic Communications Office