LAKELAND, FL – Kendall Kerge scored seven goals to help lead Florida Southern College women’s lacrosse past No. 8 Grand Valley State, 18-12, in the 2017 regular-season opener on Thursday night at Bryant Stadium. The No. 1 Moccasins (1-0) extended their winning streak to 15-straight games dating back to last year, and exacted revenge for last year’s 10-7 loss to the Lakers (0-1). HOW IT HAPPENED • Florida Southern raced out to an early 3-0 lead just six minutes into the first half. Emily Santoli got the Mocs on the board on a free-position shot with 25:03 to go, and Kerge scored off a free-position attempt just 30 seconds later to give FSC a 2-0 lead. • Megan O’Brien scored Florida Southern’s third goal of the night with23:59 to go in the first half, but GVSU answered with its first goal just moments later on a free-position shot. • The teams traded goals over the next seven minutes, as the Moccasins maintained a lead of no less than two goals until midway through the half. The Lakers were able to find the back of the net at the 16:22 and 15:51 mark to pull within one goal (6-5). • With their lead in jeopardy, the Moccasins exploded with four goals in 11 minutes to extend the lead to 10-5. Kerge scored each of the final three goals during the scoring outburst. • Grand Valley State scored two goals in the final 30 seconds, including one at the buzzer, to make it 10-7 at the half. • The three-goal deficit was as close as the Lakers would come the rest of the way, as Florida Southern outscored GVSU 8-5 in the second half en route to a comfortable 18-12 victory. • The Moccasins outshot the Lakers 35-24 and won 21-of-31 draw controls. Each team picked up 25 ground balls, and Florida Southern converted 4-of-7 free-position shots while GVSU went 3-of-5. INSIDE THE NUMBERS • Florida Southern improved to 2-1 all-time against Grand Valley State. Thursday’s game marked the third-straight time that the Moccasins have opened the season against the Lakers. Each of three meetings has taken place at Bryant Stadium. • The Moccasins extended their winning streak to 15-straight games dating back to last season. The winning streak is the longest current winning streak among NCAA Division II teams and is second among all NCAA Divisions to last year’s Division I champion, North Carolina (19-straight wins). • The Mocs moved to 51-10 all-time at Bryant Stadium, and has won 12-straight home games dating back to last year. • Kerge scored seven goals for the third time in her career. She scored seven goals in last year’s regular-season loss to Adelphi, and had a school-record eight against Tampa in last year’s Sunshine State Conference Tournament semifinal. • Taylor Gillis made nine saves in the contest, while Kerge and Santoli combined to take 21 of Florida Southern’s 35 shots. UP NEXT • Florida Southern returns to action on Tuesday, Feb. 21 when it takes on No. 2 Adelphi in a rematch of last year’s national championship. The game is slated to begin at 7 p.m. at Bryant Stadium. • The Moccasins will then hit the road for games at McKendree (Feb. 24), vs. Rockhurst (Feb. 24) and at Lindenwood (Feb. 26).