Northern Michigan University's Maddie Bast vie for the ball during a college match held in the Superior Dome in Marquette earlier this season. (Photo courtesy NMU)

NORTH CANTON, Ohio — Northern Michigan University’s Madi Bast scored four goals while teammate Kaitlyn Bridger had the game’s first goal but the Wildcats women’s lacrosse team still fell at Walsh 13-10 on Wednesday afternoon.

Bast improved her season goal total to 22, tied for tops on the team with Minnie Bittell, who had a single goal Wednesday.

Bridger’s goal was her 16th, and with seven assists is No. 2 for NMU in points with 23. Bittell, who last weekend set the Northern career goal-scoring record, has a team-leading 26 points this spring.

Despite the Wildcats’ scoring prowess, it was Walsh’s Melinda Maers that put the home team ahead less than two minutes after Bridger’s opening goal with 12:20 left in the first quarter.

Maers, who like Bast finished with four goals, gave Walsh a 2-1 lead it wouldn’t relinquish with 10:27 left in the opening period.

Teammates Rachel Black and Chloe Tatlow added goals to make it 4-1 Cavaliers, though Bittell came up with a goal with just 10 seconds left in the first to pull Northern within 4-2 entering the second quarter.

While Walsh reupped its lead to as many as four goals during the second, NMU (5-3) got back within 7-5 at halftime following a pair of Bast goals in the final two minutes before intermission.

Combined with a Clara Johnson goal about five minutes into the second half, the Wildcats pulled within one, 7-6, but could never catch the Cavs.

Once Walsh scored two in a row a few minutes later, the Cavaliers (7-2) kept a lead of two to four goals for the rest of the game.

Johnson and Danielle Key each had two goals for the Wildcats, one of Key’s coming on a free-position shot in the second quarter, while Bast finished with a team-high seven shots on goal as Johnson had three.

NMU continues its season-long seven-game road trip with games at Indianapolis at 4 p.m. today and at McKendree in Lebanon, Illinois, at 3 p.m. EDT Saturday.

The Wildcats don’t return home until Friday, April 21, when they host Davenport.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.