NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University women's lacrosse team fell in their home opener on Saturday afternoon, as Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) powerhouse Johnson & Wales left town with a 19-5 victory. 

The Wildcats set the tone early, as Maria Patane lit the lamp twice in the first 1:05 of gametime to give JWU an early 2-0 lead. The two goals ended up being the first in an 11-0 run by the visiting team over the first 15 minutes. Emily Schromm (North Attleboro, Mass.) finally slowed the momentum with a free-position goal at the 12:31 mark, but JWU collected three more goals before the half to carry a 14-1 advantage into the break. 

Action in the second half was a little more balanced, with Norwich's high point coming via a 4-0 run during the half that started off with Sam Stewart (Milford, Mass.) scoring her first collegiate goal. In the end, JWU walked away with the 19-5 victory. 

Missy Preul (Scottsdale, Ariz.) scored twice for the Cadets, while Stewart, Schromm, and Kate Winstanley (Lansdale, Pa.) all scored a goal each for Norwich. Freshman Brynn Mendes (Centerville, Mass.) picked up a pair of assists on the afternoon. 

Norwich falls to 3-3 with the loss and 2-3 within the GNAC. They'll return to action tomorrow afternoon when they travel to Castleton University for a non-conference tilt at 2:00 PM.