DANBURY, Conn. - Senior midfielder Vicky Gracy (Bethel, Conn.) and rookie attacker Isabella Pota (East Meadow, N.Y.) each netted hat tricks but it wasn't enough as the Western Connecticut State University women's lacrosse team suffered a heartbreaking season-opening loss in overtime, falling to the United States Coast Guard Academy, 10-9, in a non-conference matchup at the Westside Athletic Complex on Wednesday evening. 

Sophomore attacker Madison Ratchford (Ridge, N.Y.) added a pair of goals for the Wolves, while senior attacker Colleen Crotty (Peabody, Mass.) tacked on her first goal of the campaign. 

Sophomore midfielder Abby McAllister (Pleasantville, N.Y.) tallied three goals and one assist to lead the Bears, while junior midfielder Caitlyn Coates (Hanover, Pa.) also added a hat trick. 

The hosts were outshot, 28-22, but they controlled the Bears in the ground ball column, 14-10. Coast Guard held a slight edge in draw controls, 13-10. 

WestConn took a 3-1 lead into the second quarter as Gracy netted a pair before Pota put the finishing touches on the spurt with her first career marker. Coast Guard answered with a pair of goals in the second, deadlocking the count at 3-3 at halftime.

The Wolves were called for a pair of green cards in the third stanza which ignited the Bears's scoring attack. McAllister converted a free position shot with the player advantage before they added another pair of scoring strikes, seizing a 7-5 lead marching into the fourth period.

The hosts rallied with a four-goal run to regain a 9-7 advantage. Pota sparked the barrage with a free position tally of her own before spinning and firing a shot into the top corner from 10-yards away to round out the flurry with 3:40 remaining in regulation. Coast Guard countered when senior attacker Addy Bass (Redondo Beach, Calif.) took a cross-crease feed and buried a low shot into the twine with 50 seconds left, slicing the gap to 9-8. McAllister then fired home the equalizer on a free position attempt at the buzzer, forcing overtime. 

WestConn senior goalkeeper Molly Bresnahan (Groton, Conn.) was stellar between the pipes, turning aside 12 shots, while senior netminder Devon McCue (Annapolis, Md.) was equally impressive for the Bears en route to an eight-save performance.

Both teams had chances in extra time. However, Coates managed to notch the unassisted game-winner, sending the Bears to victory. With the loss, the Wolves dropped to 0-1 overall in head coach Rachael Griffith's debut, while Coast Guard improved to 1-0. WestConn gets a week to recover and will host non-league foe Smith College on Wednesday at 7 p.m.