PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Lakeland University freshmen Mikayla Belasco (Muskegon, Mich.) and Lia Armstrong (Fort Wayne, Ind.) both scored goals but St. Norbert College scored on a series of quick strikes to defeat the Muskies 5-2 in both teams' Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference women's soccer opener Wednesday night at Taylor Field.

The Green Knights scored just over two minutes into the match and had Lakeland in trail mode the rest of the way in a high-scoring contest. The Muskies dropped to 3-3 overall while St. Norbert improved to 3-2-1 overall.

Lakeland actually had the first opportunity of the match when Marlen Reyes (Sr.-Milwaukee, Wis.) headed a cross just 80 seconds in from nearly point-blank range that SNC keeper Lily Collins had to snare. The Green Knights made their first push of the match less than a minute later with Abby Thompson attacking on the left and sending a cross into traffic that Mallory Names redirected through a series of Muskies defenders and past goalkeeper Faith Turley (Sr.-Lincoln, Ill.) for a 1-0 lead.

Trouble struck in the 15th minute when the Green Knights tallied again, as a failed attempt to clear a St. Norbert cross instead went into the net for an own goal. The guests added another goal late in the first half, again coming up the left side with defender Michelle Piro passing up ahead to Thompson, who carried the ball in and then fired to score inside the left post for a 3-0 lead.

The Muskies answered back less than three minutes later in the 38th minute. Belasco took a free kick from 35 yards out just right of the goal, and her perfectly struck shot bent towards the upper left corner of the goal and out of reach of Collins to give her a goal in her second straight match.

It would take St. Norbert just 20 seconds into the second half, though, to build the lead back to three goals. Lakeland's first pass ahead after kicking off was intercepted by the Green Knights, and Thompson made another run down the left side, all the way to the doorstep where she would fire and score inside the right post for her second goal of the match.

The Muskies weren't done, and they crept back within two goals in the 72nd minute. Chloe Bartlett (Fr.-Canton, Ill.) did the work of bringing the ball through the defense into the penalty area before hitting a cross from the left side. The ball went through the defense to Armstrong, who had space and hit a looping shot that froze the goalkeeper and found the upper right corner of the net for her first collegiate goal.

St. Norbert added one more goal with less than eight minutes left, as Names beat a Lakeland defender to a headed pass on the ground and poked the ball into the goal for her second tally of the match.

The Green Knights finished with an 18-7 advantage in shot attempts, including a 12-6 lead in shots on goal. Reyes had a pair of quality chances and Taytum Theobald (Fr.-Howards Grove, Wis.) had another in the second half, with her shot from the right almost getting by Collins inside the right post before she corralled it for a juggling save.

Turley made seven saves in goal for Lakeland, while Collins made four saves for St. Norbert.

The Muskies are on the road Saturday when they travel to take on Concordia University Chicago at 1 p.m. in River Forest, Ill.