Senior goalkeeper Alexa Arakelian matched the program record for saves in a game as the Buccaneers fell to Cornell College 10-7 in the Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference opener Saturday afternoon at Strong Stadium. 

Arakelian registered 21 saves in the contest to tie Marie Bonine (2015) for the program record and match the team record for saves in a single game.

The Beloit College offense opened the game with a lot of energy and movement in their offensive zone. Less than eight minutes, Nicole Dolcimascolo found some open space and capitalized on a shot to score the first goal of the season at Strong Stadium and give the Bucs' a 1-0 advantage. Dolcimascolo struck again at the 17:24 mark to make it 2-0 and just over a minute later Kieran Rodning entered the scoring column beating the Rams' keeper for a 3-0 Beloit lead. 

Cornell's offense started slow but really picked up pace halfway through the first period. The Rams tallied six goals in the final 7:30 of the first half to take a 6-3 lead but the Bucs would reclaim some momentum before the halftime horn sounded. Following a Cornell goal with 34 seconds remaining, Rodning controlled the draw and pushed the pace forward. She quickly found Dolcimascolo who set up Fiona Milchman for the score with just 11 seconds remaining in the half to cut the deficit to 6-4 at the intermission.

The momentum swing was pivotal for Beloit entering the second half. Milchman found the back of the net eight minutes in on a goal with a person advantage. Olivia Farbarik knotted the game 6-6 on a nifty breakaway goal receiving the ball on the run, juking a Ram defender and beating the keeper on the one-on-one opportunity with just over 17 minutes remaining. 

The Rams reclaimed the lead on a free position goal with 14:52 on the clock. Another free position score made it 8-6 Cornell with less than nine minutes remaining. 

The Bucs weren't finished though. Rodning had a shot on the free position attempt that went wide but Beloit maintained possession leading to another Milchman score to make it 8-7 with 6:31 left. Cornell pushed the lead back to two on a goal with 4:38 remaining. The Rams controlled the ensuing draw and found the back of the net just 20 seconds later for a quick two-goal swing to make it 10-7. 

Beloit had a number of opportunities offensively late in the contest but were unable to beat the Rams keeper. 

Along with Arakelian, Melinda Balades bolstered the Bucs' defense with seven groundballs and two caused turnovers in the game. Offensively, Milchman tallied three goals while Dolcimascolo also registered three point on two goals and an assist. 

Up Next: The Bucs head back on the road for a 3:30 p.m. meeting with Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon Thursday, March 5.