GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Courtney Havel scored the game-winning goal with 24.2 seconds remaining after Carson Dickey tied the game just 30 seconds earlier as the Colorado Mesa University women's lacrosse team pulled out a thrilling 15-14 win over 16^th-ranked Florida Tech on Saturday afternoon here at the Community Hospital Unity Field.
 
The win was the Mavs' first of the season as they were able to overcome eight Panther woman up goals.
 
The lead changed hands six times throughout the afternoon as Dickey and Cameron Flynn both recorded four goals to lead the Maverick offense, which had by far its best outing of the season.
 
CMU is now 1-4 with four games coming against nationally-ranked teams from Florida and the Sunshine State Conference.
 
The Panthers, who played nationally-ranked foes in each of their five games, fell to 1-5 as they dropped a pair of 1-goal decisions in what was their first ever trip to Colorado.  They also held a 11-9 lead through three quarters in a 14-13 loss to No. 17 Regis on Thursday night in Denver.
 
The Mavs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first 6:22 as Dickey, Flynn and Devon Morris scored goals.
 
However, the Panthers benefited from three un-releasable yellow card fouls to tie the game at 3 by the end of the first quarter.
 
They then went up 5-4 on another woman up goal with 8:21 remaining in the half before Flynn and Dickey scored unassisted markers to give the Mavs a 6-5 lead at the half.
 
Cassidy Keykal and Dickey then extended the Mavs lead to 8-5 with goals in the opening 4:20 of the second half before the Panthers roared back with a 6-1 run to take a 11-9 lead with 13:04 left.
 
The Mavs then went on a 3-0 spurt of their own as Kaylee Kittle, Flynn and Havel all scored in a span of 1:42 to put the Mavs back in front, 12-11.
 
However, the Panthers took advantage of two Maverick green cards to re-take a 13-12 lead with six minutes to go.
 
Keykal then tied the game at 13 with 2:29 to go before the Panthers won the ensuing draw control before scoring a go-ahead goal near the end of the shot clock to take what would be their final lead with 1:02 left.
 
Dickey was then able to scoop up a draw control on a one-hop just in front of the offensive restraining line and went straight to the net to tie the game with 53.8 seconds remaining.
 
The Mavs then benefitted from a prolonged and illegal Panther substitution as the Mavericks won the following draw control automatically. 
 
Havel then scored the game-winning goal as CMU sophomore goalkeeper Heather Hawkins made one final save at the other end to preserve the Mavs' thriller.
 
Havel, last year's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Attacker of the Year, had gone the first four games of the season without a goal.
 
Dickey has now recorded four or more goals in three straight games and leads the RMAC with 14.
 
Flynn recorded her first career hat trick.
 
Gillian Craig, who leads the Panthers with 20 goals this season, finished Saturday's game with four while Abby Cudzilo tallied three, including the go-ahead goal with 62 seconds left.
 
Florida Tech finished with an 18-13 advantage in draw controls as Clare McGuire had ten. 
 
Hawkins and Panther counterpart Bridget Robinson both finished with eight saves.  Hawkins also had three ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers.
 
Both teams finished with 32 shots.
 
The Mavs received all four of the game's yellow cards and six of the nine green cards and were whistled for 18 fouls, twice as many as the Panthers.
 
The Mavs will close out a 3-game home stand on Monday afternoon taking on undefeated (4-0) Northern Michigan.