WASHINGTON, Pa. – A fast start was not enough to propel the Washington & Jefferson College women's lacrosse team as they dropped a 14-12 decision in their season opener to the University of Mount Union on Saturday afternoon at Alexandre Stadium.

Mya Bolinda (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) turned in a strong performance in the opener. Bolinda finished with five goals, an assist and three draw controls in the 2026 lid-lifter. A trio of Presidents finished with a pair of goals as Anna Kloehn (Canton, Ohio/Jackson), Avery Byard (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown) and Ella Holland (Healdsburg, Calif./Cardinal Newman) found the back of the net twice. Kloehn and Bolinda reached milestones in the contest, as Kloehn logged her 100th career point and Bolinda registered her 100th career ground ball.

Caleigh Bogats (Oakdale, Pa./Chartiers Valley) led the Presidents with five draw controls. Sarah Brown (Denton, Md./North Caroline), playing in her first collegiate game, logged team highs in ground balls (4) and caused turnovers.

Kloehn and Byard opened the scoring to give W&J an early advantage. Mount Union countered with a pair of goals to even the score at 2-2 at the 9:08 remaining in the opening quarter.

W&J took advantage of a non-releasable yellow card on the Purple Raiders to rip off five-straight goals. A pair of goals came during the player-up advantage. Bolinda scored a pair of goals to make it a 7-2 Presidents lead at the 9:30 mark of the second quarter.

A goalie switch by Mount Union midway through the second quarter helped turn some momentum into their favor. That allowed the Purple Raiders to hold the Presidents scoreless over the final 9:30 of the first half. Mount Union scored a pair of goals during that time to cut the deficit to 7-4 at the break.

The Purple Raiders and Presidents traded goals for the opening half of the third. The Presidents eventually built an 11-7 lead using a 3-1 spurt. Bolinda and Holland went back-to-back to swell the lead to four at the 5:51 mark of the third.

Mount Union closed the third with two goals and opened the fourth with consecutive scores to tie the game at 11-11 at the 11:30 mark of the fourth. Holland scored at the 8:23 mark to help the Presidents regain the advantage. However, Mount Union closed the game with three-straight scores. The Purple Raiders scored the game winner with 1:39 to play and added an insurance tally with 35 seconds left.

The Purple Raiders held advantages in shots (32-23) and draw controls (17-11). The Presidents led in ground balls (15-12).

W&J returns to action on Wednesday (March 4) at 3:30 p.m. when they travel to Wilson College for a non-conference game.