MOON TOWNSHIP, PA. – The Niagara Purple Eagles lacrosse team jumped out to an early lead against the Robert Morris Colonials and led the entirety of the game. A strong effort at both ends of the field led the Purple Eagles to their first win of the season, a 13-7 victory Friday afternoon at Joe Walton Stadium.
 
Caroline Crump (2+3) and Sarah Arndt (1+4) paced the Niagara offense with five points apiece. Taylor Wolf scored four goals and Grace Hunt had a goal and two assists. Elizabeth Benedict paced the defense with three ground balls and three caused turnovers in the win.
 
"Today was a total team effort that led to a victory," head coach Wendy Stone. "We finished plays on both ends of the field and dominated the 50-50 balls. We have a lot to work on, but we are excited about the step forward that we took today."
 
Niagara (1-2) opened the game with three goals in the opening 3:57 from Crump, Wolf, and Hunt. Robert Morris answered back with two goals to narrow the deficit to one, but it was all Niagara from there in the first period. Arndt and Wolf scored 1:28 apart to regain the three-goal lead, and that score held for almost 12 minutes before Crump and Alexis Morales tallied to give the Purple Eagles a 7-2 lead as halftime approached. Robert Morris would score in the closing seconds off a free position chance to end the first period at 7-3.
 
The Purple Eagles continued to assert their dominance over Robert Morris (0-2) as the second period kicked off, getting three unanswered goals from Wolf, Rachel MacCheyne, and Danielle Maio. Niagara's offense consistently generated high-quality chances with attackers cutting to the net, and Robert Morris could not find an answer to the offensive strategy. Wolf's third of the night gave her hat tricks in two consecutive games, and pushed Niagara's lead to 11-3 with 18:34 left in regulation.
 
Niagara and Robert Morris traded two goals each to push the score to 13-5 with three minutes to play. Cailyn Negus and Jaclyn Schreiber picked up their first goals of the season as the Purple Eagles set a new season-high for goals in a game after scoring 16 combined in their first two. Two late goals from the Colonials hampered the goal total against the Purple Eagles, but the defense stifled Robert Morris throughout the contest.
 
Niagara returns to action next weekend with two games in Florida. The team will play the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers March 1 before heading to Gainesville for a showdown with the No. 4 Florida Gators on March 4.
 
Stay connected with the Purple Eagles through social media. Follow Niagara Athletics on Twitter @NUPurpleEagles and for lacrosse updates, follow @NiagaraWLax. Check in with the Purple Eagles on Facebook.com/PurpleEagles and on Instagram @NUPurpleEagles.