It was so close, but ever so far away for the girl’s lacrosse team on Wednesday. With eight minutes left, the Catamounts were up 7-5 and had been dominating the offensive possession. That was when the Great Danes of Albany decided to turn it on. Scoring three goals in less than four minutes, Albany was able to capture the lead, going ahead 8-7 with a little over three and a half minutes remaining and they never looked back “We kept playing hard with full intensity right through to the end of the game,” said Catamount freshman Lizzy Butler. “It’s just that some of our offensive opportunities didn’t go our way in the ending minutes.” Full intensity was exactly how Vermont started out the game, controlling the ball and scoring the first goal just about five minutes into the first half. The ball was controlled evenly throughout the rest of the half, and by halftime the score was 6-5 Vermont. The Great Danes were being carried by Kate Fontana, who scored two goals and contributed one assist by the end of the period. Vermont started the second half much like they started the first, controlling the ball and playing sound defense. Penalties also helped the Catamounts, and nine minutes into the second half freshman Jessie Peksa scored what would end up being Vermont’s final goal on a free possession shot. The second half turned out to be a defensive showdown, with excellent goaltending on both sides. Great Dane goaltender Jen Daly stopped 20 shots, a career high, while Vermont goalie Meaghan Hanley allowed only five goals through the first 52 minutes of play, while recording six saves. However, Albany’s defense was able to hold out a little while longer to maintain the win. Offensive production for the Catamounts came from Junior Becky Kennison and Freshmen Kristen Millar and Jennifer Maher, all of whom had two goals. The three women also lead the team in points, Millar with 33 (19 goals and 14 assists), Kennison with 28 (26 goals and 2 assists) and Maher with 25 (18 goals and 7 assists). After starting the season with five straight wins, the Catamounts have been on a cold streak as of late. Going 1-6 in their last seven games, Vermont is currently in sixth place in the America East standings. With three straight games coming up against conference opponents, Vermont still remains optimistic about the season. “It’s been tough to gain momentum from these tough losses we’ve had recently,” said Butler. “But as a team we just need to pull together and fine tune certain aspects of our own game. Once we find our groove we’ll be able to find the back of the net and pull together a full game with a winning outcome.” Vermont’s next game is away against conference rivals University of Maryland Baltimore County, who are currently third in the America East conference standings, on Saturday April 15th. After traveling to Boston University for a game on the 19th, the Catamounts will be looking forward to their next home game, against Binghamton on Saturday the 22nd.