WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Palm Beach Atlantic women's lacrosse team played one of the top sides in the nation today when they hosted the No. 7 ranked Rollins Tars in their Sunshine State Conference opener. The Sailfish played one of their better games of the early season as they pushed the Tars to the limit before falling late 22-18. The Sailfish record falls to 0-3 with the defeat and they are now 0-1 in SSC play.

The 'Fish got off to a strong start as they tried to pull the upset over the Tars. PBA was up 5-1 after ten minutes of play as the offense was humming throughout the night. Olivia Larges scored both her goals on the night in the early stretch as the Tars looked like they didn't know what had hit them as they called a timeout. Rollins settled back into the game, scoring the next two goals but PBA led 5-3 after the first quarter.

The two sides traded goals back and forth to open the second quarter. The Tars took their first lead of the night with 8:27 left in the first half, but PBA fought their way back offensively as Rollins seemed to have no answer for the Sailfish attack. Rachel Delate, Megan Jackson, and Addyson Johnson all scored during a 3-0 run to give the 'Fish a 10-8 lead late in the half. Rollins answered PBA's run with one of their own as they scored the final three goals in the last three minutes to take an 11-10 lead at the half. 

Jackson scored a quick goal in the third but the Tars took control of the game with a 4-0 scoring run after that. Courtney Rausch was solid in the Sailfish net as she made ten saves on the night to keep PBA in the game. The Sailfish were never able to get their deficit below three goals again on the night as the sides traded goals back in forth. 

Jackson led the Sailfish offense with five goals on the night to take her season tally to seven through three games. Johnson also added five points on the night, four goals and one assist, while Delate recorded a hat trick with one assist. Larges and Ella Howlin scored two goals while Sara Metheny and Mattie Davis added one each. The two sides were close on shots for the night as the Tars narrowly got the upper hand outshooting PBA 37-29. The two sides were close in the draw-control battle with PBA winning 19-of-44. Defensively, Katie Caras led the 'Fish with four ground balls and two caused turnovers. The Sailfish continued to battle throughout the 60 minutes as they were narrowly outscored 6-4 in the third and 5-4 in the fourth as they fell by four, 22-18.

The 'Fish return to action on March 2 when they take a break from SSC play to host Catawba. The Chiefs are currently 1-3 on the season and have a game against Tusculum before heading to Florida to take on the Sailfish.