HAMDEN — Lacrosse giveth and lacrosse taketh away.

Quinnipiac women’s lacrosse — with its back against the wall and the MAAC postseason looming — got a massive goal from junior midfielder EllaGrace Delmond to tie the game with four seconds left in regulation.

Forty-six seconds later in the overtime period, Iona senior attack Micaela FitzPatrick fired her fourth goal of the game to win 14-13 Saturday afternoon.

“Obviously it’s a heartbreaker, it’s not the way you want it to end,” interim head coach Jordan Christopher said. “But what they showed today was awesome.”

That “awesome” showing included a really strong first half. Despite allowing three quick goals in the first quarter, junior goalkeeper Lindsay Mazzucco settled in to make 13 saves.

“She was kind of able to dig herself out of a little bit of a hole,” Christopher said. “Unfortunately, one goes in at the end that she’s gonna think about probably for a while … I’m definitely proud of the effort.”

Quinnipiac played up to its competition in the beginning, leading the fourth-seeded Gaels after the first. Goals from sophomore attack Cate Bendowski, junior attack Abby Wise, senior midfielder Lauren Kenny and two from sophomore attack Mia Delmond gave Quinnipiac a one-goal lead after the first 15 minutes.

As the game moved along, both sides continued to trade punches. Iona kept the lead the majority of the second half, as junior midfielder Kira Varada scored three times. The Bobcats kept getting back up, as Wise, Kenny and Mia Delmond combined for seven total goals. 

“I absolutely loved our fight today as a team,” Christopher said. “We dug ourselves a couple of holes, but we were able to battle ourselves back into it. … I’m just really proud of the fight of our team.”

It came down to the wire. EllaGrace Delmond found the back of the net for her 31st goal of the season. The score sent the Bobcats’ bench into a frenzy, but the game wasn’t over.

EllaGrace Delmond finds twine for her fourth goal of the afternoon, tying the game up with four ticks on the clock. Free lacrosse in Hamden 🔜@QUChronSports | #MAACLax pic.twitter.com/DWvxE1JIT3

— Ethan Hurwitz (@HurwitzSports) April 13, 2024

“That was tricky, to be honest,” Christopher said. “We were fully on a high after that and rightfully so, it was an awesome play. But to keep ourselves locked in …it’s something we’ve worked on all year.”

The overtime winner came off the stick of FitzPatrick under a minute into the extra frame, who was one of multiple Gaels to light up the box score. Sophomore attack Maliya Haddock paced the visitors with five goals, and sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Sweeney (12 saves) limited any offense from the Bobcats.

With the loss, the Bobcats have clinched a double-digit losing season for the eighth time in 11 years. They still have life for the postseason, as they remain mathematically alive ahead of the final two games, including a date with 11-4 Siena on Wednesday.

“Because we still have a fight to be able to get ourselves into the playoffs, it helps keep the positivity,” Christopher said. “They believe in each other, they believe in themselves, they believe in what our plan is as a staff … Hopefully we can start to get on the other side of these.”

With a loss, Quinnipiac will miss the playoffs, just one year removed from its best season since 2011. The opening faceoff against the Saints is set for 3 p.m. in Hamden.

“I think we actually rise to the occasion when we have better competition in front of us,” Christopher said. “You want those moments where you can find your way into the playoffs and beat the teams that everyone thinks you’re not supposed to beat.”