GENESEO, N.Y. – St. John Fisher senior defender Maddie Lowney became the program and Empire 8 Conference's all‑time leader in caused turnovers, and the No. 25 Cardinals outlasted SUNY Geneseo 13-10 on Wednesday evening at College Stadium.

The Cardinals improved to 8-3 overall (4-0 Empire 8) and pushed their winning streak to six games, while Geneseo dropped to 5-6 overall (3-1 Empire 8). Fisher has won 69 consecutive games against Empire 8 opponents, including regular-season and postseason contests, since the middle of the 2018 season. 

Lowney caused four turnovers to push her career total to 136, passing St. John Fisher Athletics Hall of Famer Laurie Quackenbush for the record. Quackenbush's 135 career caused turnovers had stood as the top mark in program and E8 history since 2008. 

Junior attacker Ellie Leisen led the Cardinals on the offensive end with a career-high seven points on five goals and a pair of assists. Senior attacker Megan McGrath scored three times, while senior midfielder Kaley Griffin (one goal, one assist) and sophomore midfielder Athena Lazina (two goals) contributed two points apiece.

Junior goalkeeper Maggie Cross played the full 60 minutes for the Cardinals and made eight saves.  

How It Happened

The Cardinals blitzed the Knights in the first quarter with six consecutive goals to take a 7-1 lead after the teams traded tallies in the first five minutes and change. Leisen, Lazina and McGrath each scored twice in the frame, while junior attacker Chelsea Lopata added one.

Geneseo began to claw back in the second quarter, outscoring St. John Fisher 3-2. After goals by Leisen and Griffin gave the Cardinals their largest lead at 9-2, Olivia Luchetti and Lila Warner scored about a minute apart to pull the Knights within five before halftime.

Natalie Long scored three goals during a 4-1 Geneseo run that trimmed the Cardinals' lead to 10-8 in the third quarter. Lowney scored with 57 seconds left to briefly halt the Knights' surge, but Rosemary Mahoney answered 17 seconds later to make it 11-9.

Geneseo whittled Fisher's lead to 11-10 on an Emma McGuigan goal early in the fourth quarter, though that tally proved to be the Knights' last. The Cardinals' defense clamped down the rest of the way, and Leisen and McGrath scored in the final 10 minutes to secure the victory.

Game Notes

• Lowney now has 33 caused turnovers this season, 11 shy of the program single-season record 44 she recorded last season. She has caused three or more turnovers in all but three of Fisher's 11 games. 

• Lowney scored her second goal of the season in the third quarter. This marks the first time in her collegiate career that she has scored more than one goal in a season. 

• Lowney also picked up four ground balls and controlled a pair of draws. 

• Leisen has amassed five or more points in five games this season. She has scored five goals in two of the Cardinals' last three games. 

• McGrath matched her career high with three goals. 

• Junior defender Leah Hilton matched her career high with four caused turnovers. She also controlled three draws. 

• Senior defender/midfielder Paige Miller recovered four ground balls and caused a turnover. 

• Senior attacker Dharma Makarowsky and sophomore attacker Chloe Scanlan each had an assist. 

Up Next

The Cardinals face SUNY Poly at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday in Utica, N.Y.