The St. Lawrence University women's lacrosse team picked up its first win of the 2012 season on Thursday in West Palm Beach, FL, as the Saints knocked off Potsdam State by the score of 20-9.

St. Lawrence (1-1) took control of the game before halftime, building an 11-3 advantage at intermission. First-year student Mackenzie Collins led the Scarlet and Brown with four goals, while junior Brigid Hurley and senior Alanna Piroli added three goals each.

"We continued to control the tempo of the game throughout but shot the ball better today," said St. Lawrence head coach Jodi Canfield. "We played with more control and poise today and will need to play well again tomorrow against Brockport State."

Junior Stephanie O'Rourke, sophomore Carly VanTassel and rookie Soeurette Morley each scored two goals for St. Lawrence, while Kendall Harty, Hanne Bailey, Joey Kelley and Holly Noyes each added a tally. VanTassel added four assists to lead her team in scoring with six points, while Hurley and O'Rourke each added a pair of helpers.

Potsdam State, which was outshot 39-24 in the contest, was led by Carly Richards' five goal effort. Maribeth Simmons (2), Margaret Wall and Whitney Boshart also scored for the Bears.

St. Lawrence senior goaltender Paige Powell earned her first career win in net with a five-save first half while allowing only three goals. First-year student Addie Cunningham played the second half for the Saints, making four saves. Kaci Milligan made 10 stops for the Bears.

Leading 2-1 early in the first half, St. Lawrence rattled off four straight goals to open up a 6-1 edge with 11:57 to go in the period. After the Bears got one closer, five different Saints scored goals to push the lead to eight before halftime at 11-3.

Potsdam would make a small run at the beginning of the second half, scoring five of the first seven goals in the stanza to pull to within five at 13-8 with 14:07 left. However, the Saints ended the threat by tallying seven consecutive goals in 9:03 to pull away up 20-8. Carly Richards scored the game's final goal for the Bears to cap the scoring at 20-9 with six seconds left.

St. Lawrence finished with a solid 18-11 advantage in draw controls including a game-high nine for Noyes.

The Saints will play their final game of the spring trip tomorrow, Friday, March 16 against Brockport State at 11:00am.