East Rockaway, N.Y. -- Four first half goals, and a total of five from four different players, helped to propel the Adelphi University field hockey team past Long Island rival Molloy College, 5-2, in non-conference action on Sunday afternoon.

A pair of goals from junior transfer Justine DeLuca helped power the Panthers (2-2) to the win, as Adelphi's scoring began with a goal off a penalty corner by Elissa Frein from a pass by Lena Pollich just 2:44 into the game. Nearly 10 minutes later, Elizabeth Mercuri took advantage of a Lions' turnover, scoring unassisted by beating goalie Arianna Ovadia's stick for the 2-0 lead.

Adelphi's third goal of the game also came courtesy of a penalty corner, as sophomore Emily Power scored her first career goal off of Pollich's penalty corner and a pass from Frein. While Molloy (0-2) finally got on the board when Lauren Keller beat Amanda Gargiulo off a scramble at the 22:55 mark, DeLuca scored her first with just over four mintues remaining in the half to stretch the halftime lead to 4-1. After Frein had a pair of shots saved by Ovadia, DeLuca cleaned up her third attempt inside the crease for her second goal of the season.

A shot from Frein that went wide just 35 seconds into the half kicked off the second frame, and DeLuca scored her second goal in a Panther uniform off a pass from Charlotte Smith on the ensuing play to make it a 5-1 game. Four more saves from Ovadia kept Adelphi from scoring more, while the Lions' second goal of the game came on a successfully executed penalty stroke at the 61:50 mark. That was the final offense from both teams on the afternoon, as the two teams took just two shots combined in the final nine minutes of the contest.

Adelphi held a 26-8 advantage in total shots, including an 18-4 margin on goal. Ovadia made 13 saves in the game, while Amanda Gargiulo was forced to stop just one in each half for Adelphi. In total, Adelphi's offense opportunities were assisted by a 15-2 margin in penalty corners. 

The Panthers return home on Tuesday, Sept. 14 when they host the Owls of Southern Connecticut State at 6 pm.

NOTES
- Frein is the team's leading scorer this season (3). No other player has scored more than once.
- She also is the team's leader in points (8). 

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About Adelphi Athletics:
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009 and in the past seven seasons, has collected 18 regular season conference titles, 22 tournament championships, 29 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup three times (2013, 2014, and 2016), while winning five NCAA Division II National Championships.

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