NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University women's lacrosse team rushed out to an early first-period lead and never looked back, securing a triumphant 14-7 victory over Lasell University in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) clash on Sabine Field on Saturday afternoon.

Quinn Mustone (Medford, Mass.) exploded for a team-best four goals on six shots, while also winning three draw controls.  Leocadia Clark (Stowe, Vt.) and Caitlyn Fielder (East Calais, Vt.) also proved critical in the victory, as Clark posted four points on three goals and an assist, while Fielder led all players in points with six, ripping in three scores while also handing out three helpers.  Breanna Ricker (Laconia, N.H.) also tallied multiple goals with two, while Athena Merck (West Yarmouth, Mass.) and Tori Jarvis (South Windsor, Conn.) rounded out the scoring with one goal apiece.

Mustone set the wheels in motion early, striking first on a man-up opportunity just two and a half minutes in to give the Cadets an early advantage.  While Teresa Kessner knotted the contest up a few minutes later, Clark, off a feed from Moriarty, granted Norwich a lead the hosts would never relinquish, as Fielder and Ricker provided two more goals before the Lasers found some life before the end of the first stanza.

Leading 4-2, the Cadets again took advantage of first blood courtesy of another man-up chance from Mustone.  Despite occasional Lasell answers, Norwich never allowed the Lasers much momentum, as Clark and Mustone helped the Cadets build a 7-3 lead late into the half.  Annarita Sanfilippo dwindled the edge just seconds after Mustone's third tally, but a goal from Jarvis with just three seconds remaining in the half provided the Cadets with further offensive flow.

The Lasers would score just three goals in the second half, all from Kaitlin Bedell, as Norwich took control on back-to-back scores from Merck and Fielder to kick off the third frame.  After Bedell ripped in two of her three second-half shots, the Cadets constructed one of the most significant plays of the game in the waning seconds of the period, as Fielder, in stride, found Clark in front of the crease.  Clark, with Joy Sayah defending between the pipes, drilled a shot behind her back and past the reach of Sayah into the nylon.

Mustone, Fielder, and Ricker added three-straight insurance goals to close the afternoon, completing the 14-7 victory for Norwich.

The Cadets prevented Lasell from generating much offensive opportunities, as the hosts took a whopping 43 shots to just 23 for the Lasers.  Norwich finished 15-19 on clear attempts while rounding up 22 ground balls.  The rampant Cadet defense created 23 Lasell turnovers, with Julia Proto (Orange, Conn.) responsible for six of those miscues.  Clark led the team in draw controls, tracking down four, while Fielder and Celine Juneau (Chazy, N.Y.) corralled four ground balls each.

Carlie Henning (Dawsonville, Ga.) earned her second win of the season in net, making seven saves in a full 60 minutes of action.

Norwich now hits the road for two in a row, first traveling to Elms College on Tuesday, Apr. 2, for a 7:00 p.m. showdown under the lights.  The Cadets then head to Simmons University on Saturday, Apr. 6, before returning home on Apr. 9 to host New England College.