Lakeland, Fla. -- An offense paced by Emily Keesling and Jacqueline Jahelka pushed the top-ranked Adelphi University women's lacrosse team past Florida Southern College, 16-10, on Monday night to close out the team's season-opening swing through the Sunshine State. 

Keesling's five goals were a career-high, as Jahelka scored five times for the second time in Adelphi's (2-0) two games this season. Taylor Hayes got the win in between the pipes for Adelphi, as she stopped seven shots on the night. Kendall Kerge scored a game-high seven goals for the Mocs (0-2), while Hayes' counterpart Paige Brodbeck made 11 saves.

Michele Scannell, who won a team-high nine draw controls for the Panthers on the night, got them on the board just 2:54 into the game with her first goal of the season, and Keesling followed up with her first tally of the night just 55 seconds later to give Adelphi a 2-0 lead. After Kerge and Keesling traded goals, Kerge scored twice more to knot the action at 3-3 with 23:21 remaining in the first half. The flurry of early scoring continued as Rachel Aitkens, Jahelka and Keesling -- off a pass from Casey Zalewski -- all scored before the halfway mark of the opener to make it a 6-4 game at 16:15.

Adelphi's four final goals of the half came from Keesling and Jahelka as the senior tallied three -- the last with just three seconds remaining -- en route to giving the Panthers a 9-5 lead at the break. The Panthers carried that momentum into the second half, as they scored six of the first seven goals to open up a 15-6 lead, but the Mocs scored four of the last five to put themselves in double figures and end the game with a 16-10 final score.

The Panthers return to action on Tuesday, March 8 for their home opener, as they host the Penmen of Southern New Hampshire in a 6 pm Northeast-10 Conference contest.

NOTES
- The Panthers outshot the Mocs, 30-18 overall and by a 27-17 margin on goal. 
- Keesling's previous career high of four goals game last season vs. AIC last season (4/18/15).
- Jahelka's 10 goals thus far is best on the club.
 

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About Adelphi University Athletics
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009 and in the past six seasons has collected 16 regular season conference titles, 21 tournament championships, 27 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 President's Cup twice (2013 and 2014), while winning five NCAA Division II National Championships.

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