WHEELING – A slow start cost the West Virginia Wesleyan lacrosse team today in their Mountain East Conference road battle with the Wheeling Jesuit Cardinals.

Wesleyan fell behind by an 8-0 score and wound up dropping a 17-7 decision.

Natalie Schaffner finally put Wesleyan on the scoreboard at the 15:24 mark of the first half with an unassisted goal and then four minutes later, Maria Seager scored an unassisted goal to make it an 8-2 game.

Wheeling Jesuit scored the next three goals for an 11-2 lead.

Madison Duvall tallied an unassisted goal with 53 seconds remaining but Wheeling Jesuit ended the half with a goal with 14 seconds remaining,

That made it a 12-3 score at the break.

In a low-scoring second half, the two teams traded goals during the first 15 minutes.

Seager scored another unassisted goal and Duvall had an unassisted goal.

That made it a 14-5 contest.

Wheeling Jesuit scored the next three to up their lead to 17-5.

Wesleyan closed out the affair with Schaffner and Samantha Pappas both scoring.

Wesleyan trailed in shots-on-goal by a 21-16 margin.

The Lady Bobcats had to turn to their fourth keeper of the year during the game. Katie Kennedy made four saves in her first action of the year in the net.

The loss dropped the Lady Bobcats out of first place in the MEC.

They now have a 1-1 league record and own a 2-8 mark overall.

They will return to action Wednesday at Davis & Elkins in a non-conference contest.

They game will be played under the lights at 7 p.m.