Trinity College's Abby McInerney scored with 5.4 seconds left in the first sudden-victory overtime period and lifted the nationally ranked No. 7 Bantams to a 9-8 NESCAC win against the 12th-ranked Hamilton College Continentals at Hamilton's Steuben Field on Saturday afternoon.

The Continentals (10-5, 5-5 NESCAC) dominated the first 40 minutes and led 8-3 with 20:39 left in the second half. Hamilton is likely to be the sixth seed in the 2016 NESCAC Women's Lacrosse Championship and will go on the road in the quarterfinals at an opponent to be determined on Saturday, April 30. The Continentals have finished their regular season.

Trinity (12-2, 8-1) won its sixth straight game and is 3-0 this year in contests decided in overtime. The Bantams ended the game with a 6-0 run -- a run that began on a goal with 18:10 remaining in the second half.

As the clock went under 15 seconds to go in overtime, Trinity's Martha Griffin received the ball outside the fan and made a move towards the goal. Suddenly, Griffin pulled up and found McInerney just a few feet in front of the goal. McInerney turned and fired the ball into the back of the net.

Caroline McCarthy '16 paced Hamilton with a goal and two assists on a day when she and five of her classmates were honored for playing their final game on Steuben Field. McCarthy is second in the conference with 26 helpers.

Margaret Gabriel '16 and Morgan Fletcher '17 chipped in two goals apiece, and Kara Pooley '19, Darby Philbrick '18 and Casey File '17 scored one each for the Continentals. Philbrick scooped up four ground balls and won three draw controls, and Pooley caused a season-high six turnovers. Hannah Withiam '16 added three caused turnovers. Hannah Rubin '17 finished with three saves.

Griffin led the Bantams' offense with a goal and two assists. She also caused three turnovers. McInerney and Olivia Johnson scored two goals apiece, and Clare Lyne contributed a goal and an assist. Emma Malicki was credited with two helpers. Ashley Stewart, who leads the team with 28 ground balls, scooped up four. McInerney won a team-high three draw controls. Zoe Ferguson started in goal and made seven saves in the first half. Emily Mooney played the final 35-plus minutes and stopped five shots.

Hamilton had the ball for most of the six-minute overtime but could manage just one shot. The Continentals won the opening draw but committed a turnover almost a minute into the period. Trinity tried to clear but Pooley caused another turnover and picked up the loose ball. Hamilton called a timeout with 25 seconds left in the first three-minute session to set up a play but couldn't get a shot off before time expired.

At the start of the second three-minute session, Hamilton's Maddie Fitzpatrick came away with the draw and the Continentals worked the ball around on offense for the next two minutes. With about a minute to go, Pooley unleashed a high shot that was stopped by Mooney. The Bantams finally found their way into the offensive zone and McInerney made it a successful trip.

Trinity started its rally on a goal by Johnson with 18:10 left in the second half. McInerney and Griffin scored free-position goals and pulled the Bantams within 8-6 with 7:01 remaining. Johnson made it a one-goal game with 4:51 to go and Karly Simpson tied the score with 1:33 left on a nifty move as she cut towards the center of the field from the left side and fired a low shot into the back of the net as she dove to the ground.

Hamilton was awarded possession after a foul was called on the ensuing draw and the Continentals worked the ball around for the last shot. McCarthy took it in the closing seconds but it was stopped by Mooney and Stewart picked up the loose ball as time ran out.

The score was tied at 2-2 with 20:51 remaining in the first half when Hamilton scored the next five goals. Gabriel put the Continentals in front with 10:21 to go in the half and Philbrick scored on a free-position shot that gave Hamilton a 4-2 cushion at the break. The Continentals enjoyed a 21-6 shot advantage and a 13-6 edge in ground balls during the opening 30 minutes.

Fletcher's free-position goal 1:48 into the second half made it 5-2 and Pooley scored her 21st for a 6-2 lead with 23:57 left. Fletcher's team-high 32nd goal gave Hamilton a five-goal lead 1:48 later. After Trinity's Nicole Stauffer cut the Continentals' lead to 7-3, Gabriel restored the five-goal cushion on a nice feed from McCarthy with 20:39 remaining.

The Bantams round out their regular season with a NESCAC home game against Amherst College on Wednesday, April 27 at 7 p.m.