EWING, N.J. – The No. 13 TCNJ women's lacrosse team shook off the elements and a preseason nationally ranked Scranton side to secure a 15-10 win in its waterlogged home opener on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Marissa Lucca had five goals and a pair of assists and Julia Charest made a dozen saves to backstop the victory for the Lions (2-0), who outscored the visitors 9-4 after halftime amid persistent winds and driving rain.
 
Lucca, Veronica Campbell (4), CJ Kole (3), and Ally Tobler (3) accounted for all of the scoring for TCNJ. Campbell was first on the board on an assist from Lucca, then sandwiched a second marker around goals by Kole and Tobler to stake the hosts to a 4-0 lead, all in the span of less than three minutes.
 
Scranton (0-4), which was ranked 24^th in the IWLCA preseason poll, turned the tide with three tallies in under two minutes to halt the Lions' efforts to put the game away early.
 
Lucca netted a woman-up goal on an assist from rookie Naomi Kahney late in the first quarter to restore a 5-3 advantage, but TCNJ managed just one more goal from then until the break and the Royals managed to claw their way even at 6-6 at intermission.
 
The blue and gold came out with renewed momentum in the second half, potting three straight goals. Campbell's laser of a free-position shot – which came right as the shot clock expired – put the Lions ahead for good, and Lucca scored back-to-back goals to extend the margin to 9-6 midway through the third.
 
After Scranton pulled a goal back, Kole scored on a low bouncing shot with four seconds on the shot clock, and Tobler answered a goal by the visitors with one of her own to make it 11-8 with 1:07 left in the period.
 
Lucca scored twice in the final frame and assisted on another goal by Campbell, and the lead never dipped below three as TCNJ separated.
 
FOR THE FOES

• Jillian Lopez matched Lucca for the game high with five goals
• Erin Reich had three goals and an assist

STANDOUT LIONS

• Lucca scored on five of her six shots
• Campbell put in all but one of her five shots, also adding four draw controls
• Kole had three goals, two assists, and a game-high seven draws
• Tobler tallied three goals, one assist, and four draw controls
• Ashly Herlihy registered a team-high three ground balls and added a caused turnover
• Charest was terrific, saving four Royal free-position tries and racking up eight of her stops in the first half

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Charest's tremendous performance helped to neutralize Scranton's 34-23 shot advantage
• TCNJ held slim edges in draw controls (16-13) and ground balls (17-14)
• Both teams had 14 turnovers

NOTES

• Tobler moved into 4^th in school history with 277 career points, and she sits two goals away from tying Lauren Dougher '06 for second on the all-time goals list (233)
• Lucca is six points away from 100 for her career
• Charest is eight saves away from 3^rd in program history and notched her 48^th career win; her next victory will tie her with Megan Marquardt '06 for 4^th all-time
• Kahney recorded her first career assist, while Abbie Teefy posted her first collegiate point with an assist

UP NEXT

• TCNJ hosts Kenyon on Saturday at 1 p.m.