Photo courtesy Mark Campbell

NEWARK, DE -- Laura King and Brittany Berger scored four goals each and their George Mason team netted six unanswered goals over the final 16:26 of the second half for a 15-10 victory over Delaware in women's lacrosse action Sunday at Rullo Stadium.

The Blue Hens led 10-9 on senior Casey McCrudden's goal with 17:16 left in the final period, but 12th-ranked GMU proceeded to run off six straight scores and snap Delaware's 15-game home win streak. UD dropped its first game at Rullo Stadium since a 17-6 setback to Johns Hopkins on April 19, 2006.

Mason's Megan Udovich needed just 51 seconds to make it 10-all, and King followed with three in a row to fuel GMU's late run. She put the Patriots ahead for good at the 11:31 mark and aded a pair of insurance goals within the next five minutes.

Sophomore midfielder Emily Schaknowski tallied three goals and two assists for UD (9-4, 3-2 Colonial Athletic Association), which had won six of its previous seven games. Sophomore attack Emily Schaknowski also posted a hat trick, while junior midfielder Debbie Sloan (at right) collected two goals and an assist in her return to the line-up after an injury had sidelined her for seven games.

The Patriots (10-2, 3-1 CAA) spoiled Delaware's Senior Day and knocked the Hens out of a tie for first place in the league.

GMU's stingy defense held UD scoreless over the last 17:16, allowing only four shots in that span. The Patriots' physical midfielders limited McCrudden and fellow senior Katie Muth, Delaware's No. 2 and No. 3 scorers coming into the game, to one goal apiece.

Down 7-3 with just under six minutes left in the first half, Delaware rallied to take an 8-7 lead at intermission by scoring the final five goals of the stanza. Schaknowski and Aburn found the net just 43 seconds apart to begin the surge, and Sloan followed their lead with a pair of free-position goals that knotted the score at seven. Aburn continued the onslaught, firing home a feed from Schaknowski at the 1:21 mark to put her team in front for the first time since it led 2-1 less than five minutes into the action.

The teams traded goals to begin the second half before GMU took command.

George Mason out-shot UD 29-27 and enjoyed a 19-15 advantage in ground balls.

Junior Jessica Cerveny made three saves in goal for the Blue Hens, while Patriot keeper Sara Longobucco stopped six shots for the win.

Delaware returns to the field on Friday, when the Blue Hens visit Old Dominion to begin a season-ending three-game road swing.

Boxscore