via Stetson press release – photo by Steve Simoneau   Stetson’s Karli Maguire scored a career-high five goals but George Mason’s hot start was too much for the Hatters to handle in a 17-9 loss, Sunday at the Athletic Training Center in DeLand. The Hatters fell in an early hole as the Patriots (5-2) bolted out of the gate. George Mason scored the first seven goals of the game, with Hannah Warpinski scoring four times. Down 7-0, the Hatters responded with three straight goals a Hallie Merz, Maguire and Shelby Lehmann scored consecutive goals to get Stetson within 7-3. Mason closed out the first half with a pair of goals and led 9-3 at halftime. The Patriots extended their lead to 16-6 in the second half as Corinne Wessels scored the third of three straight Patriot goals with 13:48 to play. Stetson battled back with a pair of goals by Maguire and one for Erin Cornell to get within16-9, but that was as close as the Hatters got. Goalies Liza Diamond and Kiera McCarthy combined to make 11 saves for the Hatters. Melissa Semkiw stopped 11 shots for the patriots. Warpinski finished with six goals. The Hatters take an extended break and return to action on March 29 at Wofford. About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University’s Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.