SCRANTON, Pa. – The University of Scranton women's lacrosse team (1-2) continued its challenging early non-conference schedule as the Royals dropped a 16-4 decision to No. 10 TCNJ (1-0) in the program's 2022 home opener on Tuesday afternoon at Weiss Field in Scranton.

This marked the first ever meeting between the Royals and Lions.

Scranton opened the scoring just over a minute into the game as junior Caroline Miller (Huntington, N.Y./Elwood-John H. Glenn) cut towards goal and took a feed from sophomore Erin Reich (Rockville Centre, N.Y./South Side) for a 1-0 lead. However, TCNJ would rattle off the next seven goals and took a 7-1 lead with 11:21 to play in the second quarter. Sophomore Kayleigh Stalter (Lynbrook, N.Y./Lynbrook) answered with a goal of her own off an assist from freshman Allie Halfpenny (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape) to cut the lead to 7-2, but the Lions eventually took a 10-2 lead into halftime.

From there, things were academic for the Lions in the second half who notched the victory in their season opener.

Junior Maggie Smith (Glen Rock, N.J./Glen Rock) added a pair of goals in the second half for Scranton and led the way offensively for the hosts.

TCNJ held a 30-20 shot advantage as Reich, Smith and fellow junior Emma Fitzpatrick (Glen Head, N.Y./North Shore) paced the Royals with four shots apiece. The Lions were led by five goals from Anna Wright and a seven point day (three goals, four assists) from Jennifer LaRocca.

Senior Emily Schum (East Hanover, N.J./Morris Catholic) and freshman goalie Lauren Boldis (Merrick, N.Y./Sanford H. Calhoun) registered three ground balls apiece for Scranton, while Schum and Smith each caused a pair of turnovers.

Boldis, who was making her first career start, tallied six saves on the afternoon.

The Royals will play each of their next four games on the road beginning with a non-conference matchup at Haverford on Saturday afternoon. Opening draw is slated for 1 p.m.

--ROYALS--