Sandwiched in the middle of disappointing stretches in Penn State's 13-7 loss to No.1 Princeton on Saturday was a period where the No. 18 Nittany Lions looked capable of earning an invitation to the NCAA championships.

Princeton (5-0), which will host the tournament in May, used a strong start and finish to pull back the Lions' (1-5) invitation. The two-time defending national champions jumped out to an early 6-1 lead, then scored six straight goals at the end of the game to get the victory.

Midway through the second half, Penn State junior Kristen Burke scored her third goal of the game to tie it at 7-7. It was then that Princeton flicked on the proverbial switch and went on the game-deciding run.

Three-time All-American Theresa Sherry scored three of the Tigers' final six goals, and fellow All-American Elizabeth Pillion scored one and assisted another for Princeton. Pillion had two goals and two assists on the day.

"We were a little tired, but you definitely have to give Princeton a lot of credit," Penn State women's lacrosse coach Suzanne Isidor said. "They're No. 1 for a reason. Their big guns stepped up in crunch time and they did a nice job."

Penn State entered halftime trailing 6-2. Behind Burke and senior Katie Hartman, the Lions scored five of the next six goals, with Hartman getting two of her three assists on the day during that stretch. However, Penn State could not find any offense the game's last 14 minutes.

Aggressive play by Penn State goalie Lee Tortorelli helped counter Princeton's speed. She recorded 12 saves and faced 37 shots while garnering praise from both sidelines.

"Tort was fantastic," Princeton women's lacrosse coach Chris Sailer said. "Not only in the saves, but how many caused turnovers, intercepting balls, getting ground balls."

Isidor agreed that the junior goalie played her best game of the season. With senior co-captain Jackie Sherman out with a back injury and Lauren Bryan done for the season with a knee injury, the defense was shorthanded.

Lindsey Biles of Princeton, a speedy scoring threat, scored two goals and Kathleen Miller had two goals and two assists. Biles and her teammates didn't take too long to get to the net after every one of Penn State's 16 turnovers.

"[Princeton] was the fastest team we played by far. They capitalized on our mistakes," Hartman said. "They're an awesome team and they're not going to let mistakes happen without capitalizing on them."

Penn State senior co-captain Katie Jeschke returned after missing the past three games and scored a goal.

Penn State will travel to Philadelphia tomorrow to take on Temple (1-2).