ST. LOUIS – The 2023 NAIA women's lacrosse slate has reached its adolescence, and the demanding competition of Missouri Baptist women's lacrosse first four games continued on Saturday. MBU powered through a rain-soaked and chilly evening at Spartan Field to defeat No. 10 Indiana Institute of Technology (Indiana Tech) for its third straight win.
 
No. 8 Missouri Baptist (3-1) continued to ride the momentum it had built from the previous two wins to edge Indiana Tech (1-1), 15-14, in a thrilling matchup. The Spartans achieved their second victory against a Top-10 opponent and third against teams at least receiving votes in the NAIA polls with the result.
 
The MoBap offense was able to pick up where it left off against (RV) Marian and put away five goals in the first quarter. Chayleb Deves' shots were a hot commodity yet again as the senior scored her third straight hat trick. All of the senior's tallies came within the first half.
 
The Warriors would turn the game around and made it frighteningly competitive after clawing back to within one at the 24:27 mark of the game. The game's leading scorer Faith Donally scored three in the second period and from the time the score read 5-4 Spartans until the final horn, it was neck and neck between the two sides. MBU and Indiana Tech traded goals two times before Donally evened the score at 7-apiece. A late goal with three ticks before intermission from Caroline Karr, her sixth of the season and second of three on the evening, gave MoBap a slim one-goal advantage going to the final thirty minutes.
 
The third quarter belonged to Jordan Haeusser. The fifth-year senior put the team on her back as the Indiana Tech attack continued to hum along. Haeusser scored four goals in the fifteen minutes, stopping a three-goal run from the visitors to even things at 11 (43:48) and complete her hat trick. The Westminster Academy product saved her best for last, rifling a free-position shot into the back of the cage with one second left as the third quarter buzzer sounded to give MBU a one-score lead once more.
 
The Spartans and Warriors went back to trading goals one at a time before Karr put home the eventual game-winner with 96 seconds left in regulation. Indiana Tech got one back (58:48) to get within a goal before a last gasp struggle for overtime was met with a save by second half goalie Alyssa Graebner to seal the result in MoBap's favor.
 
Graebner made three saves in her 30 minutes of action after halftime. Kamryn Bell and Lydia Cornett both scored a pair of goals, and Natalie Patrick notched the lone assist for MBU along with collecting four ground balls to tie with Sophia Zegar in that category. Haeusser and Karr led in corralling the loose change at five each, and Haeusser was the most prolific in causing turnovers at a total of four.
 
"Energy was key considering how we came out a little bit flat against Marian," head coach Max Ruhl said. "Offensively, we did exactly what we wanted to do [and] we were able to hold off their surge [to get the win]."
 
Missouri Baptist will go into the week of spring break looking to continue its good form but will have its work cut out. The Spartans have travel plans to the Peach State to face a staunch NCAA Division-II opponent in Shorter University (2-5) on Tuesday, Mar. 14th at 2:00 PM before another meeting with a ranked foe in current No. 7 Life University (4-1) on Thursday, Mar. 16th at 5:00 pm.