COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Concordia-St. Paul women's lacrosse took #9 Regis University down to the wire in the 2022 season opener on Friday afternoon, falling 10-9 at Colorado College after the game was relocated from Denver.

Concordia will remain in Colorado Springs, where they'll face the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs (UCCS) on Sunday at 2 p.m. (CT).

The season opener was closely contested throughout, with neither team leading by more than two goals throughout play, but Regis held the upper hand for much of the contest, claiming its first of five 2-goal leads just over five and a half minutes into the game.

Each time Regis went ahead by two, Concordia had an answer, though, as Delaney Davidson scored the Golden Bears' first goal of the season midway through the first quarter. It was her first of two goals in the game, as she would also knot the game at 9-9 with 3:19 to go in the fourth quarter.

Regis took its fifth and final 2-goal lead early in the second half as the preseason Division II Player of the Year, Kyleigh Peoples scored on a free position shot to put the Rangers ahead 6-4 midway through the third quarter (8:07). Peoples led all players with four goals.

Back-to-back goals by Molly Moynihan and Sarah Pierson tied the game at 6-6 with 2:44 to play in the third, forcing the game's first of four ties - all occurring in the last 17:44 of action. Regis scored the final goal of the third quarter just six seconds later, and held 1-goal leads at the end of the first (3-2), second (5-4) and third (7-6) quarters.

Pierson led the Golden Bear offense with three points, scoring twice and adding an assist while also securing a pair of ground balls and adding a caused turnover.

In a fourth quarter that was slow to develop offensively, much like the third quarter, it was freshman Maddy Seifert with her first career goal on a feed from Erica Peterson, her first of a team-high two assists in the game, to tie the game back at 7-7 with 9:43 to go in the game.

Just under a minute later, Hailey Hartlage gave Concordia its first lead of the season, although it would be short-lived as the Rangers tied the game back up at 8-8.

From there, the game remained knotted for over four and a half minutes when the Rangers reclaimed the advantage with 4:16 to play, with Davidson answering just under a minute later to force the game's final tie, 9-9 with 3:19 left.

The Rangers scored 30 seconds later, though and held Concordia scoreless for the last 2:50, winning the draw and not allowing a CSP shot down the stretch.

Concordia junior transfer goalie Candace McDole was strong in the cage in her debut, saving 12 shots and holding a .545 save percentage to out-duel the Ranger net-minder tandem of Brigit Goetch (0 saves, 5 GA) and Elizabeth Myotte (1 save, 4 GA) despite taking the loss.

Defensively, Meghan McGowan led Concordia with a pair of caused turnovers and three ground balls.