RICHMOND, Va. – The Duquesne University lacrosse team was defeated 13-10 by VCU Sunday afternoon in an Atlantic 10 contest.
 
The Dukes (3-8, 0-4 A-10) were led offensively by a three-goal effort from Ciara Curtis (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker). Mackenzie Leszczynski (Flourtown, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh) posted two goals with a team-best six draw controls, while Julie Cassidy (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) chipped in two goals.
 
After a slow start to the game by both teams, Alana Piano (Brockport, N.Y./Aquinas) broke the scoreless game with 3:55 to play in the opening period. Leszczynski added another before time expired in the quarter to put the Dukes ahead 2-0 after 15 minutes played.
 
Delaney Rodriguez-Shaw (Longmeadow, Mass./Longmeadow) extended the Dukes advantage to 3-0 less than two minutes into the second quarter. Despite the early edge, VCU (6-5, 2-2 A-10) rallied back to tie the score up at 4-4 as the game entered halftime.
 
Duquesne captured momentum out of the locker rooms with three-straight goals to open up the third quarter. VCU answered back with three-straight of its own to tie the game up at 7-7 in the final minute of the period, but a Leszczynski goal with four seconds on the clock gave the Dukes the upper hand entering the final quarter.
 
Curtis increased the lead to 9-7 with a goal two minutes into the fourth quarter. The Rams went on another run, notching three-straight once again, to put Duquesne in the hole for the first time all afternoon at 10-9 with 9:18 to play in the game.
 
Curtis managed to tie the game back up at 10-10 at the 7:22-mark, but the Rams scored the game's final three goals, including an irrelevant free-position goal with one second on the clock, to deal Duquesne the loss.
 
Goalie Mady Piersielak was saddled with the loss in net after making eight saves.

VCU goalie Meghna Dawar, who leads Division I with a save percentage of 55.4 percent and ranks second in the country with 13.11 saves per game, made 12 stops for the Rams.
 
Both teams took 27 shots and committed 23 turnovers.
 
A total of 11 cards were issued to both teams in the game.
 
The Dukes will look to get back on track on Friday, April 8 when they travel to North Carolina to take on Davidson in an A-10 contest at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+.