NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University women's lacrosse team subdued a second-half Rivier University rally and corralled a critical Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory on Saturday afternoon, toppling the Raiders, 15-11, in a thriller on Sabine Field.

Caitlyn Fielder (East Calais, Vt.) again paced the offense, leading all scorers with four goals.  Julia Gutke (Stockholm, Sweden), Quinn Mustone (Medford, Mass.), Leocadia Clark (Stowe, Vt.), and Tori Jarvis (South Windsor, Conn.) all tallied two goals apiece, while Athena Merck (West Yarmouth, Mass.), Ellie Moriarty (Stowe, Vt.), and Julia Proto (Orange, Conn.) added a score each.  Moriarty led both teams in points with a game-high six, dishing out five helpers on the afternoon.

After over six minutes of a scoreless deadlock, the Cadets drew first blood as Proto opened the scoring off of Moriarty's first assist, giving the Cadets a lead they would never relinquish.  Fielder added a second tally just 27 seconds later.

Both teams exchanged goals over the ensuing eight minutes, with Merck answering a Raider goal minutes later while Gutke added her pair in the closing four minutes.  The Raiders sprinkled in four goals throughout the stanza, trailing by just one after the opening 15 minutes.  Another stalemate occurred in the second frame before Fielder tallied her second at the 3:41 mark, setting in motion three-straight Norwich goals to close the first half, allowing the Cadets to double up on the Raiders, 8-4.

Rivier began to mount a potential comeback out of halftime, ripping in two goals to whittle the Norwich lead down to two, but two momentous scores from Clark in a 45-second span turned the tides in Norwich's favor.  Clark found Mustone with 58 seconds remaining to push the Cadet lead to five, 11-6.

Despite a Raider goal seconds into the fourth, the Cadets claimed their largest lead of the contest on two occasions throughout the fourth, as back-to-back goals from Jarvis and Mustone handed Norwich a six-score lead.  After a Rivier answer, Fielder recorded her fourth goal, giving the Cadets a 14-8 advantage.  Rivier again attempted to strike back, scoring three-straight, but an insurance goal from Moriarty sealed the deal.

The Cadets cruised in several statistic categories, attempting 33 shots to 25 for the Raiders.  Norwich was a near-perfect 15-17 on clear attempts, while corralling 23 ground balls.  The Cadet defense forced 15 Rivier turnovers.

Norwich, in particular, thrived on draw controls, claiming 23 while holding Rivier to seven victories.  Fielder was relentless winning draws, taking 13 victories while Clark and Mustone had eight and two, respectively.

Bailey Manning-Ingala (West Hartford, Conn.) scooped up another win on the season, making eight saves in a full 60 minutes of action in the crease.

The Cadets will enjoy a week away from action before hitting the road for two in a row, first traveling to Emmanuel College in Boston, Mass., for a seismic 1:00 p.m. conference bout on Saturday, Mar. 23.  Norwich then steps out of conference play, heading to Vermont State University Castleton on Wednesday, Mar. 27, for an intrastate clash.