WATERVILLE, Maine — Maine Maritime Academy scored early and often, cruising to a 17-4 victory over Thomas College in North Atlantic Conference women's lacrosse action Tuesday evening.

Maine Maritime (7-4, 4-1 NAC) dominated from the opening draw, erupting for seven first-quarter goals and taking an 11-3 lead into halftime before adding six more goals over the final two periods to secure the win.

The Mariners were powered by a balanced offensive attack, led by junior Bella Scolaro, who finished with three goals and a game-high six assists for nine points. Junior Julia Wade added four goals and two assists, while junior Lillian Diversi tallied two goals and four assists. Freshman Hayden Meffert chipped in three goals, and sophomore Hadley Stoddard scored twice.

Additional scoring came from sophomore Emilia Corey, senior Rebecca Caron and freshman Lauren Robinson, who each found the back of the net once as Maine Maritime totaled 17 goals on 31 shots.

Maine Maritime controlled possession throughout, holding a 31-12 advantage in shots and a 24-14 edge in ground balls. The Mariners were also efficient in transition, clearing 12 of 14 attempts.

Defensively, the Mariners limited Thomas to just four goals and 12 total shots. In goal, senior Ella Bowes earned the win with three saves in 30 minutes of action, while sophomore Julia Milius added a scoreless half.

Maine Maritime set the tone early with back-to-back goals from Diversi and Wade, part of a 7-0 opening run that put the game out of reach. The Mariners continued to build their lead in the second quarter, highlighted by man-up goals from Scolaro and Wade.

The Mariners maintained control in the second half, getting goals from Stoddard, Scolaro and Meffert before closing out the game with four fourth-quarter scores, including a man-down goal from Meffert and a late strike from Robinson.

Maine Maritime closes out its regular season on Saturday with a road matchup against the University of Maine at Farmington beginning at 1 p.m.