Meghan Kerr	Emily Towey	Fiona Keelan	Nikole Sullivan

Box score

GRANTHAM, Pa. – The cold chill of the Northeast weather and the stout Messiah College defense got the best of The University of Scranton women's lacrosse team in a season-opening 16-1 loss on Tuesday afternoon at Starry Athletic Complex.

Messiah (1-0) raced out to an 8-0 lead over the opening 23 minutes and didn't look back. Scranton (0-1) received an unassisted goal from sophomore midfielder Meghan Kerr (Warwick, N.Y./John S. Burke Catholic) with just over six minutes left in the first half. Kerr led the Royals with three shots.

The Falcons held a decided 44-11 advantage in shots, but Scranton senior goalkeeper Emily Towey (Abington, Pa./Abington) held her ground as much as she could, making 19 saves, the third-highest single-game total of her career.

Kerr, junior midfielder Fiona Keelan (Larchmont, N.Y./Mamaroneck) and sophomore midfielder Nikole Sullivan (Sparkill, N.Y./Tappan Zee) each scooped up three ground balls. Keelan had a team-high four caused turnovers.

Scranton will return to action on Wednesday, March 4, when the Royals travel to Haverford, Pa. to take on Haverford at 7 p.m.

--ROYALS--