NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University women's lacrosse team returned to the win column in emphatic fashion on Saturday afternoon, rolling past Dean College, 20-1, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Senior Day clash on Sabine Field at Haynes Family Stadium.

The Cadets controlled the game from the opening whistle, scoring the first 19 goals of the afternoon while turning in one of their most complete performances of the season on both ends of the field.

Caitlyn Fielder (East Calais, Vt.) led the Norwich attack with four goals, while Athena Merck (West Yarmouth, Mass.) produced four points on three goals and an assist.  Colby Magoon (Loudon, N.H.), Sophia Albright (East Dummerston, Vt.), Sienna Caron (Griswold, Conn.), and Caitlin Slider (Thetford Center, Vt.) also turned in strong offensive outings.

Magoon and Albright each finished with hat tricks, while Caron and Slider posted two goals and an assist apiece.  Tori Jarvis (South Windsor, Conn.) added a goal and an assist, while Vivian Buntin (Middlebury, Conn.) and Breanna Ricker (Laconia, N.H.) each found the back of the net.

"It is great to get back in the win column after a tough loss on Thursday," said Head Coach Ian Thomas.  "The girls brought the energy today and played hard for our seniors.  I am proud of our ability to rebound and come out of the gate flying around the field making plays."

Norwich wasted little time taking command.  Ricker opened the scoring just 55 seconds into the contest, and the Cadets never looked back.  Fielder followed with three goals in the first quarter, Magoon added one, and Merck capitalized on a woman-up opportunity as Norwich built a 7-0 advantage through the opening 15 minutes.  Caron capped the first-quarter burst with an unassisted tally in the final 70 seconds.

The Cadets carried that momentum into the second frame.  Slider opened the quarter off a Caron assist, Merck followed with another unassisted goal, and Albright added two scores around Caron's second tally of the day as Norwich stretched the lead to 12-0 by halftime.

Norwich continued to pour it on after the break.  Buntin scored just 60 seconds into the third quarter, before Albright converted another woman-up chance to complete her hat trick.  Magoon followed with a woman-up goal off a Jarvis assist, and Jarvis later found the back of the net herself off a Slider helper.  Slider and Merck each added unassisted scores late in the quarter as the Cadets carried an 18-0 lead into the final frame.

"We were very disciplined today on both sides of the ball," Thomas said.  "We took advantage of the right opportunities and were very balanced on offense."

Magoon added her third goal of the afternoon early in the fourth to make it 19-0 before Dean broke through with its lone goal at the 8:44 mark.  Fielder answered with the final score of the day with 1:10 remaining to seal the 20-1 result.

Norwich dominated statistically throughout the contest, holding a 40-3 advantage in shots, including a 28-2 edge in shots on goal.  The Cadets also finished a perfect 10-for-10 on clears while limiting Dean to a 6-for-17 mark.

On the ground, Norwich held a 19-10 advantage in ground balls, led by four from Fielder. Magoon, Caron, Ricker, and Abigail Kirrane (Lunenburg, Mass.) each added two.  The Cadets also controlled the draw circle, 18-4, with Fielder pacing the group with eight draw controls and Buntin contributing five.

Defensively, Norwich forced 13 caused turnovers, highlighted by three from Slider.

Bailey Ingala (West Hartford, Conn.) earned her ninth win of the season after making one save in the opening 30 minutes of action.  Kaylin Gonzalez (Navarre, Fla.) played the second half in goal to close out the victory.

At halftime, Norwich honored Fielder, Merck, Ingala, and Kirrane as part of the program's Senior Day festivities.

"Our four seniors are the heart and soul of our team and lead by example day in, day out," Thomas said.  "They have all had incredible careers and are not done yet.  We are looking forward to the week ahead to continue to refine our systems and gear up for a championship push."

The Cadets will close the regular season on the road, traveling to Mitchell College for a GNAC matchup on Wednesday, Apr. 22 at 2:00 p.m.  Norwich will then look ahead to the GNAC Tournament, with quarterfinal play scheduled to begin on Saturday, Apr. 25.