KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- The excitement and anticipation of a new season came spilling out in the form of 17 goals for the Kutztown University women's lacrosse team, as it handily defeated Holy Family, 17-3, amidst falling flurries on Keystone Field Saturday afternoon.
 
The Golden Bears led from start-to-finish, outscoring the Tigers 13-1 in the first half and getting a combined 21 points on the day from Emma Meakim (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland), Shannon Lake (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue-Medford) and Sam Graf (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills).
 
Graf, coming off an outstanding 42-goal, 63-point freshman season, showed off both her playmaking and finishing skills in putting Kutztown (1-0) out in front early. She scored back-to-back goals less than four minutes into the game before setting up Sammy Ruwet's (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional) first career goal at the 10:49 mark for a 3-0 lead.
 
Lake had a goal and two assists, Lailah ElBouazzaoui (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) netted a pair of goals and Meakim set up markers by Lake, Olivia Eilbacher (Cherry Hill, N.J./Camden Catholic) and ElBouazzaoui as the Maroon and Gold pumped in seven goals in the first 15 minutes.
 
Things were much the same in the second as the Bears put up six more goals and held the Tigers (1-1) to one shot while triggering the running clock. Graf, Lake and Meakim had a goal and an assist apiece in the period. Kayla Brooks (Mountville, Pa./Hempfield) converted a free position attempt, ElBouazzaoui and Graf completed hat tricks and Katie Yocum (Hanover, Pa./South Western) became the second freshman to register her first collegiate goal.
 
With the result comfortably in hand by halftime, second-year coach Kristen Nicholson was able to get many players extended game experience over the final 30 minutes of action.
 
Meakim finished off a hat trick with a pair of goals and contributed her fifth assist of the contest to finish with a career-high eight points. Lake added two fourth-quarter helpers to also finish with five. Lake and Meakim moved into a share of second place on the program's single-game assists list. Meakim's eight points are tied for the fifth most in a game in team history and Lake's seven rank tied for ninth.
 
Graf supplied a game-high four goals and six points.
 
Kutztown outshot Holy Family in every quarter and 34-14 for the game. The Bears were successful on 17-of-18 clearing attempts, held a 30-18 advantage in ground balls and a 16-8 advantage in draw controls.
 
Cyrose Conteh (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) totaled a game-high seven draw controls and split game-high honors with HFU's Lynn Hardy by picking up five ground balls. Graf added to her all-around performance with four draw controls, four ground balls and three caused turnovers. Brooke-Lynn Grim (Abbottstown, Pa./New Oxford) also had three caused turnovers for the Golden Bears, who finished with 14 as a team.
 
With much of the action at the other end of the field, it was a relatively quiet day in the cage for the KU goalies. Starter Jenna Blesson (Sparta, N.J./Lenape Valley Regional) made four saves while playing the first three quarters. Freshman Marisa Bragg (Ringoes, N.J./Hunterdon Central) took the fourth and registered her first career save.
 
Mackenzie Santucci scored two goals for Holy Family and Rianna Shields accounted for the other. The Tigers were coming off a 22-0 victory over the University of District Columbia in their opener.
 
Kutztown will be on the road for a pair of games next week starting with Wednesday's non-conference clash against Caldwell. When the Bears return to Keystone Field Wednesday, March 8, it will be for their PSAC East opener against Shepherd.
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