EMMITSBURG, Md. – Brianna Gauthier (Severna Park, Md./St. Mary's) scored the decisive tally for her first collegiate goal to lift Mount St. Mary's past Monmouth 10-9 in Northeast Conference (NEC) women's lacrosse action on Sunday.

Gauthier, who joined the women's lacrosse team after the women's basketball season concluded, scored with 5:55 remaining in the second period to give the Mount (3-8, 3-0 NEC) a 10-8 advantage. It was the senior's first collegiate tally, who also registered two caused turnovers in the contest. Rachel Feirstein scored with 1:02 on the clock to trim the margin to 10-9, but the Hawks (4-6, 2-1 NEC) could get no closer.

Ashley Johnson (Arvada, Colo./Arvada West) paced Mount St. Mary's with three goals and an assist. Kathleen Rossetti (Perry Hall, Md./Perry Hall) added two goals and a helper while Lucy Pompa (Baltimore, Md./Bryn Mawr) found the twine twice in the winning effort.

Megan Brennan fueled Monmouth with three tallies and an assist, and Feirstein chipped in three goals in the loss.

Despite losing a 5-1 lead, the Mount scored two of the final three goals to earn its four-straight regular season home win against the West Long Branch program.

After Brennan tied the match at 8 with 14:21 remaining, Pompa found the inside of the right netting for her seventh goal of the year courtesy of a Breana Waraksa (Media, Pa./Strath Haven) assist at 50:48 to give the Mountaineers the lead for good. Gauthier increased the lead to two goals when she found the twine unassisted at 54:05. Feirstein then cut the margin to 10-9 with 1:02 remaining. Brennan then won the draw control, but Mount St. Mary's goalkeeper Brigid McTavish (Mount Airy, Md./South Carroll) made the save on a bouncing shot by Caitlin Kelly with 53 seconds left and the Mount ran out the clock to earn its third-straight victory.

The Mount opened the game with a 5-1 advantage in the first 20 minutes of the contest. Rossetti started the scoring with back-to-back goals on an unassisted tally at 1:58 and a free-position goal at 5:27. Johnson then scored unassisted at 8:09 to give Mount St. Mary's a 3-0 edge.

Feirstein put the Hawks on the scoreboard with an 8-meter goal at 17:11 before the Mountaineers rattled off the next two markers. Johnson set up Pompa at 17:22 before Johnson converted an 8-meter attempt at 19:30 for a 5-1 lead.

Monmouth then answered with four of the next five goals to cut the deficit to 6-5 at halftime. After Molly O'Brien started the run with an unassisted tally at 20:47, Brennan set up Ali Pollock at 22:13. Brennnan then made it a one-goal contest with an unassisted goal at 27:25.

Kelly Taylor (Bel Air, Md./Bel Air) momentarily halted the Hawks' surge with her third goal of the year off a Rossetti pass with 48 seconds remaining in the stanza, but Shawn Evans responded with a free-position tally 40 seconds later to make it a one-goal game at the break, 6-5.

Johnson reclaimed a two-goal edge at the start of the second half with her third goal of the afternoon unassisted at 33:07. After Brennan answered 34 seconds later, Katelyn Catanese (Huntington, N.Y./St. Anthony's) notched her first goal of the day on an 8-meter shot at the 39:20 mark for an 8-6 margin.

The Hawks answered with two-consecutive goals. Feirstein scored on a free-position attempt at 41:24 and Brennan found the back of the net off a Pollock assist at 45:39 to square the contest. Thanks to markers by Pompa and Gauthier,the Mount then scored two of the final three goals to come away with the victory.

McTavish made five saves for the Mountaineers while Monica Johnson turned away six shots for Monmouth.

Kristin Jones (Farmingdale, N.Y./St. Anthony's) paced the Mount St. Mary's defense with four ground balls, two draw controls and two caused turnovers, and Ali Jost (Abingdon, Md./Bel Air) registered three ground balls, two draw controls and two caused turnovers.

Since the 2004 campaign, Mount St. Mary's and Monmouth have battled to a one-goal game six times and the Mount is 4-2 in those contests, including wins in the NEC Tournament championship game in 2004 and 2005. The Mountaineers open NEC play 3-0 for the sixth time in program history and the first time since 2007.

Mount St. Mary's returns to action on Friday at Central Connecticut State. Game time is 4 p.m.