PITTSBURGH — Butler’s surge came a little too late.

Trailing The Ellis School 9-4 with a little more than 11 minutes remaining in the second half, the Golden Tornado girls lacrosse team scored three goals in less than two minutes.

With the lead trimmed to 9-7, Butler had another chance to score, but was turned away.

Ellis controlled possession for the next five-plus minutes and then tacked on two more goals to turn away Butler in the first round of the Division II playoffs, 11-7, at Cupples Stadium Tuesday afternoon.

“I am proud of the way they battled back,” said Butler coach Annie Tigano. “They wanted this game. The pressure, I think, just got to them. If they would have put together a couple of spurts like that a couple of other times in the game, it could have been different.”

One Butler spurt was quite enough for Ellis coach Emily Deering-Crosby.

“We got a little complacent there in the middle of the second half,” Deering-Crosby said. “We knew Butler was going to be a tough, tough team from the beginning and could come back at any moment. Luckily, our defense was able to come through.”

That defense forced Butler (11-8) into some old habits Tigano thought her team had broken.

Butler had cut down on its turnovers significantly late in the season. But the turnover bug bit the Golden Tornado again in the loss to Ellis.

A turnover after Butler had cut the Ellis lead to 5-4 just before halftime led to a Tigers’ goal with 1:32 remaining in the first half.

The two-goal lead deflated Butler, Tigano said.

“A lot of dropped balls. A lot of turnovers,” Tigano lamented. “I was really shocked. The last couple of games they have really put it together. That was something we were really focusing on and we gave them a limit and they were staying under it.”

Tigano said her team went over that limit in the first half.

“They just wanted to get their first playoff win so badly, there was a lot of pressure,” Tigano said. “They were nervous — they shouldn’t have been because they have been playing well all year. It just wasn’t our day.”

Ellis (13-3) scored just 19 seconds into the game off the crosse of Maya Milch. The Tigers never trailed, although Butler kept it close.

Senior Megan Crawford scored two goals for Butler and finished with 154 in her standout career.

“It is a high bar for these young girls,” Tigano said. “There are a couple of girls coming up who can (challenge that career mark).”

The program will dearly miss Crawford, Tigano said.

“She’s a true leader by example,” Tigano said. “She’s not real loud. She doesn’t yell at people or tell people what to do, but if you watch her play, her speed and how bad she wants it, she just sets the tone for the rest of the team.”

Olivia Kappler and Reanna Everton also added a pair of goals for Butler. Mya Reese also found the net for the Tornado, who are still in search of their first lacrosse playoff win.

Butler has won play-in games before, but never a first-round game.

Alicia Scheuermann scored four goals to lead Ellis, which had a balanced attack.

“We have many, many girls who can score,” Deering-Crosby said. “We feel like a successful offensive set has to have many layers. You can’t have one girl who scores 10 goals. You need five who can put in a few apiece.”

Tigano is hopeful that her team will return to the playoffs next season and get that elusive initial first-round win.

“Every year you make the playoffs is a stepping stone,” Tigano said.