St. Ambrose was just unable to hang on.

The Bees let a 5-2 halftime lead slip away in a 10-5 loss to Ottawa (Kan.) in the KCAC Tournament semifinals Thursday afternoon in Leavenworth, Kan.

SAU got off to a great start scoring the game's first three goals. Erin Green, Allie Ruggiero and Maura Healy each scored to give the Bees a fast 3-0 lead.

After Ottawa got on the board, Ruggiero scored her second of the day before Sara Goeddel added one of her own for a 5-1 advantage.

But that would be it for St. Ambrose. Ottawa (7-7) scored with 1:15 left in the half to trim the margin to 5-2 at the break. The Braves carried that momentum into the second half, scoring four goals in the first 10 minutes to take a 6-5 lead. Ottawa tacked on four more goals to advance to the KCAC Tournament championship game Saturday with the 10-5 win.

Alexis Schott was credited with 10 saves in the loss.

The game mirrored the regular-season contest between the two teams played just five days earlier. In that game, the Bees started fast, taking a 7-1 lead only to watch the Braves eventually tie the score at 11-11. SAU's Avery Cummins scored with less than nine minutes remaining to break the tie and propel the Bees to a 15-13 win. St. Ambrose didn't have the same ending Thursday.

SAU ends its second season of varsity play with an 8-4 record, including a 4-2 mark in the KCAC, good for a second-place tie in the conference.