KANSAS CITY, Mo. — While Sam Pruitt started Griffon Lacrosse's scoring attack and ended it with a game-tying goal to force overtime, she ended up on the wrong side of a 13-12 thriller vs. Rockhurst at Bourke Field.

Pruitt scored a career-high five goals on Thursday night, netting her first goal within the first 38 seconds to give Missouri Western an early lead. A Karlin York goal moments later put MWSU up 2-0, and after Rockhurst score, Pruitt made it 3-1 with her second goal of the first quarter. However, Rockhurst (7-3, 1-0 GLVC) did not go down easy in its conference opener, scoring five-straight goals to take a 6-3 lead. 

Trailing 9-4 at halftime, MWSU shot back in the third thanks to a Jordan Coulon score. Pruitt cut the deficit to 10-6 with her fourth goal in the closing seconds of the third quarter, and Coulon opened the fourth with another score to make it 10-7. With another insurance goal from Rockhurst, Catreyn Gilreath, Maleah Sosa, Gilreath again and Madison Brady all scored consecutive goals to knot the rivalry matchup at 11-11. Gilreath, however, received a yellow card with 3:29 left to play, putting MWSU a woman down and giving Addison Bradley of Rockhurst a chance to score seconds later, taking a 12-11 lead. 

With 55 seconds left to play, Pruitt put any regulation worry to rest with her fifth goal of the game, forcing both teams' first OT period of the season. Ending a fiercely-contested game, Carloyn Byrd sank the game-winning goal at 3:44 mark, cementing her hat trick and Rockhurst's first conference win.

NOTABLES

• Coulon tallied a season-high 10 draw controls, which was also a game-high.
• Goalkeeper Mackenzie Porter caused a game and career-high six turnovers. 
• York went 2-for-3 in free-position shots.

UP NEXT
Missouri Western (7-5, 1-1 GLVC) comes back home next Friday on April 14 to take on No. 19 Maryville (13-0, 2-0 GLVC) at 7 p.m. in St. Joseph at Spratt Stadium. The Saints beat MWSU 12-11 in a non-conference clash back on March 12 in St. Louis.