Missing several starters due to injuries, Lourdes battled 10^th-ranked Aquinas on Wednesday afternoon before suffering a 17-10 setback at The Legacy Center in Brighton, Mich.
 
"Despite our limited roster today I thought we played exceptionally well," head coach Paul Sieben said after the game.  "I was really proud with the way we played both offensively and defensively.  We were big and strong today."
 
Lourdes scored first, less than a minute into the contest, on a goal from Alyssa Long (Auburn, N.Y./Auburn H.S.).  After the Saints tied the game, Long's second tally of the first five minutes put the Gray Wolves on top 2-1.
 
Aquinas took the lead for good with three unanswered goals before Haley Brown (Temperance, Mich./Bedford H.S.) found the back of the cage with an assist from Long.  The Saints retook a two-goal lead before Jessie Frost (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton H.S.) scored an unassisted tally to pull Lourdes within one.
 
The game remained 5-4 Aquinas into the final two minutes until the Saints scored twice before intermission to take a three-goal advantage into the break.
 
A player-up goal for Aquinas increased the lead to four before Katie Cerveny (Erie, Mich./Mason Senior H.S.) scored Lourdes' first goal of the second half with 21:56 to play.  The Saints score four of the next five goals, with just a tally from Long mixed in, to build a 12-6 lead midway through the second half.
 
Long added a goal from the free position at 13:11 to pull Lourdes within four, but that would be as close as the Gray Wolves would get the rest of the way.  The Saints scored four unanswered goals to increase the lead to nine before the Gray Wolves tallied three of the final four goals.
 
Long added her fifth goal of the game while Brown chipped in her second tally of the day as did Frost.
 
Dani Brodberg led Aquinas (5-7, 2-4 WHAC) with five goals while Alexandra Burns tallied four goals and an assist.
 
The Saints outshot Lourdes 32-26 for the game but held just a 23-21 advantage on goal.
 
Bree Copley (Whitehouse, Ohio/Saint Ursula H.S.) led Lourdes with five ground balls while Shelby Kellar (Holland, Ohio/Saint Ursula H.S.) caused four turnovers defensively.  Kiley Ketteman (Cincinnati, Ohio/Anderson H.S.) made six saves in the cage.
 
Lourdes (3-7, 0-7) will have nearly a week off before returning to the field on Tuesday evening as the Gray Wolves face Siena Heights.  The opening draw is slated for 7 p.m. at O'Laughlin Stadium in Adrian, Mich.