ALBANY, N.Y. - The Norwich University women's lacrosse team put together a dominant all-around performance on Saturday afternoon, cruising to a 13-6 non-conference victory over Russell Sage College.

Quinn Mustone (Medford, Mass.), Caitlyn Fielder (East Calais, Vt.), and Ellie Moriarty (Stowe, Vt.) powered the Cadets' attack with three goals each, while Vivian Buntin (Middlebury, Conn.) found the net twice.  Gianna Pesce (Williamstown, Mass.) and Athena Merck (West Yarmouth, Mass.) also contributed to the scoring with a goal apiece.

Fielder was a force offensively, leading all players with five points, adding two assists to her three-goal effort.  Buntin and Pesce also played key playmaking roles, each dishing out assists alongside Moriarty.

Russell Sage struck first, opening the scoring just under four minutes into the contest, but Norwich wasted little time responding.  Merck jump-started the Cadets' offense less than a minute later, setting off a dominant stretch.

Moriarty and Fielder each added unassisted tallies before Mustone capped the four-goal run to put Norwich in control.  The Gators managed to sneak in a late goal before the first intermission, trimming the deficit to 4-2.

The second and third quarters belonged entirely to the Cadets.  Buntin's unassisted goal early in the second sparked a relentless Norwich surge, as Mustone, Pesce, and Fielder each struck over the next two quarters.  Moriarty's second goal of the afternoon extended Norwich's lead to 8-2, and Mustone quickly followed with her third of the game.

Buntin and Fielder capped off the seven-goal stretch, pushing the lead to 11-2 before Russell Sage finally broke through with a goal in the final second of the third quarter.

The Gators managed to string together a three-goal spurt early in the fourth frame, cutting the margin to 11-5.  However, Norwich quickly regained control.  Moriarty found the back of the net for the third time before Fielder sealed the win with a final unassisted goal with under two minutes remaining.

Colby Magoon (Loudon, N.H.) anchored the Cadets' defensive dominance, generating a game-high seven caused turnovers to lead a Norwich defense that forced 25 total turnovers.  Magoon also scooped up five ground balls, while Celine Juneau (Chazy, N.Y.) led the team with six.

Fielder and Breanna Ricker (Laconia, N.H.) controlled the draw circle, winning four draw controls each as Norwich secured 13 overall.  The Cadets also held a slight edge in ground balls, collecting 29 to Russell Sage's 28.

Between the pipes, Carlie Henning (Dawsonville, Ga.) delivered a strong performance in her first win of the season, making seven saves in a full 60-minute effort while also adding three ground balls.

Norwich will now shift its focus back to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play, traveling to Regis College on Tuesday, Mar. 18, for a 4:00 p.m. contest.  The Cadets will then return home for back-to-back conference matchups against Simmons University on Mar. 26 and Albertus Magnus College on Mar. 29.