Looking to earn its first win of the season, the Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team hosted Holy Cross at Garber Field on Tuesday. Despite a promising comeback effort in the second and third periods, UMass (0-3) struggled to gain the edge over Holy Cross (3-2).

“We’re a very talented team,” head coach Jana Drummond said. “We just need to be able to piece it all together for a full 60 minutes.”

In past matchups against the Crusaders, the Minutewomen have taken almost 70 percent of wins, suffering their first loss against Holy Cross since 2009. Despite the difficult loss, the scoreboard didn’t entirely reflect UMass’ game against Holy Cross.

“Last time we played them, the draw was pretty 50/50 and it felt like this year we were more confident,” Drummond said. “There were such great highlights here and there. It’s just kind of putting all those minutes together as a full group.”

The Crusaders came out strong, displaying a relentless offensive strategy that put the Minutewomen on the defensive from the opening minutes. Holy Cross earned the first four goals of the match to set the pace. Attacker Lauren Drillock snuck two goals past the Minutewomen in the first 15 minutes. Holy Cross netted five of its six shots in the first period while UMass struggled to find its footing.

The Minutewomen left the first quarter of play down 5-1 but made a substantial push in the second and third periods. UMass scored eight out of its ten goals during the finals periods. On the other side, the Crusaders only scored four goals due to the Minutewomen’s tough defense.

“We weren’t really talking [in the first quarter],” Drummond said. “But we got back on the same page … we adjusted well, just getting back to our fundamentals for defense.”

Intercepting passes, launching counterattacks and disrupting Holy Cross’ offensive flow, the Minutewomen’s defense came back with fire. UMass’ defense forced six turnovers and seven clears during the second and third periods, respectively.

On the other side of the field for the Minutewomen, attacker Charlotte Wilmoth had a strong game. The previous Atlantic 10 offensive player of the week maneuvered past defenders to score two crucial goals and provided two key assists.

“[Wilmoth is] such a great force on the field for us … she’s really a voice for our offense,” Drummond said. “If [the ball is] in her stick and she gets in close, it’s going in the back of the net.”

Sophomore Kassidy Morris also picked up three goals, adding to the seven points she earned in UMass’ last game against Brown.

In the last period, the Minutewomen took their first lead of the game early on. UMass gained possession, and within a matter of seconds, Morris ran the ball down the field to shoot a quick goal for the Minutewomen. Despite this, victory proved elusive as Holy Cross launched a relentless offense in response.

Crusader Isabela Miller scored the equalizer, leaving the Minutewomen scrambling for the lead again. Drillock took the last two goals of the game to cement a 12-10 Holy Cross win, handing UMass its third consecutive loss.

“[We] just need to get back to us. I think with these losses, we need to really focus on bouncing back,” Drummond said. “What can we, as a group, do better, not necessarily [focusing] on who’s on the other side of the field.”

The Minutewomen have their next game against Long Island University in Brookeville, New York. The game is set for Saturday, Mar. 2 at 11:00 a.m.

Kate Endres can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @Kate_e_endres.