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LATROBE, Pa. (March 19) - Saint Vincent raced out to an early lead and held off Thomas More for a 14-8 victory in the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference opener for both teams.

Saint Vincent opened up the match with the first six goals, taking a decisive early advantage midway through the opening half. Sophomore Maggie Nelson contributed three of those goals, while Helena Shoplik scored two goals and Sarah Wallerstedt added a score.

After a TMC goal made it 6-1, freshman Courtney Kloos scored her first collegiate goal at the 10:48 mark. Wallerstedt, Nelson and Katie Stallings then added three more goals, strengthening the advantage to 10-1 for SVC. The Saints scored a second goal before Wallerstedt closed the first half scoring with her third goal, making it 11-2 at half.

Nelson tallied four first half goals, while Wallerstedt added three. Hannah Carroll did a good job facilitating the offense, tallying six assists in the opening 30 minutes.

Thomas More opened the second half with three straight goals, cutting the deficit to 11-5. Junior Anita Onufer then answered for SVC with her first career goal, making it 12-5 with 15:14 to play in the game. The Saints continued to battle, scoring three more goals to make it 12-8. SVC put the game away with goals by Carroll and senior Katie Uhring in the final minutes, giving the Bearcats the 14-8 win.

Carroll led the way with seven points, including six assists. Nelson and Wallerstedt each recorded four points. Eight different Bearcats scored goals, including three goals by Greater Latrobe graduates.

Wallerstedt had a game-best six ground balls, while Alex Piampiano added five pickups.

SVC moves to 1-0 in the ORLC and 1-6 overall. The Bearcats host Mount St. Joseph's University on Sunday (March 19) at the SVC Turf. Start time is scheduled for 1 p.m.