BERKELEY - After clawing its way back into the game and evening the score at 18 with a minute left in regulation, William & Mary garnered a free-position shot with eight seconds remaining on the clock. Unfortunately for the California women's lacrosse team, the Tribe converted on the shot attempt and escaped Berkeley with a 19-18 victory Saturday afternoon from Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium. With the loss, the Golden Bears fall to 1-6 on the season. 

Cal has now lost back-to-back tightly-contested, one-goal games after an 18-17 loss to Saint Joseph's last Sunday. 

"It was a heartbreaker," head coach Brooke Eubanks said. "I'm really proud of them for battling back, though. We've had trouble in the past with falling behind and not being able to counter the other team's attack. We had an opportunity, and it just didn't go in our favor."

Jena Fritts tied her career high with six goals. She also accomplished that feat earlier this season at Butler. Susie Ropp secured a personal-best five goals and tied her career high with six points. Meredith Haggerty also earned a hat trick and paced the Bears with four draws. 

Defensively, Jenny Wilkens posted 15 saves, a season high and second best in her career after stopping 20 shots last year against San Diego State. It was her third double-digit save performance this season. 

Things started Cal's way after the Tribe scored the first goal of the game. The Bears rattled off four in a row to take a 4-1 lead seven minutes in. Cal maintained a three-goal lead with just under 12 minutes left in the opening half before William & Mary went on its longest run of the game. The Tribe scored eight of the next nine goals, including one with two seconds left, to take a 13-9 lead into the locker room. 

After William & Mary scored two early goals in the second half, Ropp took control of the game. The true freshman was responsible for the next four consecutive goals, scoring three of them. Her efforts pulled the Bears within two at the 23:49 mark. 

"She really stepped up huge, and her consecutive goals made what seemed like a larger lead within reach," Eubanks said about Ropp. "To have a freshman be able to do that showed a lot of maturity. She had some great shots today that were goals."

The Bears and the Tribe started trading goals, as Cal continued to chip away at the lead. With less than five minutes remaining in regulation, Cal trailed by three when Haggerty, Fritts and Ropp all scored to tie the game at 18 with just over a minute left. 

William & Mary got the ensuing draw, and Cal almost caused a turnover, but instead, the Tribe earned a free-position shot and converted to win the game. 

Cal continues its five-game homestand against Connecticut on Tuesday, March 14, at 6 p.m. from Kabam Field. That game will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Networks.