HENNIKER, N.H. - The Emmanuel College women's lacrosse team survived a furious fourth-quarter comeback attempt by New England College, escaping with a hard-fought come from behind 12-11 victory on Wednesday afternoon to improve to 5-4 overall and 4-1 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference play.

Anna Nichols was the story of the afternoon, pouring in a career-high five goals — including the decisive game-winner with 4:29 remaining in the fourth quarter — to lead the Saints. Ella Stein added three goals and an assist, while Madeline Wright contributed two goals, an assist, and won four consecutive draw controls to help Emmanuel control possession at critical moments.

Emmanuel wasted no time getting on the board, as Stein opened the scoring with a man-up goal just under three minutes in, assisted by Avery Robillard. After NEC quickly tied it, Wright and Stein answered to push the Saints ahead 3-1 heading into the second quarter.

The second period was a wild back-and-forth affair that saw both teams trade man-up opportunities. Emmanuel built its lead as high as 5-2 before NEC trimmed it to 5-3. Nichols capped the half with a goal off a feed from Lily Killeen to give the Saints a 6-4 lead at the break.

Emmanuel appeared to be pulling away midway through the third quarter. Nichols scored three goals in the period, and the Saints held a 9-7 advantage heading to the fourth. But NEC had other ideas, storming out of the gate in the final frame with three straight goals — including back-to-back strikes from Riley Davis — to stun Emmanuel and take an 11-9 lead with 11:37 remaining.

The Saints refused to fold. Wright pulled one back at 9:34, and Robillard converted a free-position shot at 5:19 to tie the game at 11. With the game on the line, Nichols delivered the clincher on a man-up opportunity off a Wright assist, giving Emmanuel a 12-11 lead they would not relinquish.

Goalkeeper Keira Walsh (5-4) was steady in net for the Saints, stopping nine shots and making several key saves down the stretch to preserve the victory.

Emmanuel and NEC were nearly even on shot opportunities, 29-28, respectively, while NEC held a slight edge in shots on goal, 15-16. The Saints converted three-of-seven free-position opportunities, compared to NEC's two-for-five. NEC held the edge in draw controls (14-11) and ground balls (18-15), making the Saints' ability to weather the storm in the final minutes all the more impressive.

Up Next:
The Saints are back in action on Saturday morning, March 28 at 11:00 a.m. on the road at Mitchell College.