Garden City, N.Y. - With a big second-half performance, the Adelphi University field hockey team emerged victorious over NE10 foe Mercy University on Tuesday afternoon at Motamed Field by a final score of 3-2

The opening frame was marked by many offensive opportunities for both squads, yet a combined nine shots and four penalty corners didn't reflect on the scoreboard after the first 15 minutes. 

In the second quarter, offensive chances continued while aggression ticked up with three combined cards.

The Mavericks were responsible for two in just over a minute with Rory McComb and Kelly Rosenfield both being tagged. What the visitors may have lacked in discipline, they made up for with scoring chances. Rachel Palladino took a pass in the scoring circle, with her first shot being saved by Amanda Montiel, only to corral the rebound and reach around the goalkeeper to put Mercy on the board first. Despite a couple more shots coming from the hosts, the score remained 1-0 at the break. 

The Brown and Gold attack came to life to start the second half. Amanda Lee took a hard bump from a defender off a penalty corner, prompting the referee to grant the junior forward a penalty stroke. Lee fired her shot past the goalkeeper to give the Panthers the equalizer. Just two minutes later, however, the Mavericks' Kelly Rosenfield sent in a ball to Rieley Fitzgerald, who tapped it in past Montiel to put Mercy back on top, 2-1. 

A penalty corner from Ali Nagy saw the Adelphi offense begin to spark again, as an underneath pass from Sydney Rossacci saw Nagy sneak in on the left side to tie the game up once more. Only a couple minutes later, Kelly Johnson gassed a shot from the top of the circle past the Mercy goalkeeper to give the Brown and Gold their first lead of the day. 

The final 15 minutes was all about holding position for the Panthers. Another five penalty corners were awarded, and the Mercy offense was held to zero shots in the final frame. Although a green card on Caroline Beakes put the pressure on the hosts, the defense was able to play keepaway long enough, ending the game with the Brown and Gold tallying their first NE10 home win.

Head Coach Jess Mulhern and Adelphi will play again at Motamed Field this Saturday (Sep. 30), when they take on Franklin Pierce University. Game time is set for 12 noon.