PURCHASE, N.Y. - The Purchase College women's lacrosse team fell to Manhattanville College in a Skyline Conference matchup Monday by the score of 22-7.

With the defeat, the Panthers dropped to 0-3 overall and in the Skyline. Meanwhile, the Valiants collected their first win to move 1-2 in both. 

Purchase started the contest quick, thanks to a strike from Gabby Castles (SR/Bethpage, NY) just 12 seconds in. The advantage was short lived however, as the Valiants found the back of the net just 31 seconds later.

After the initial flurry, things went quiet for a few minutes until senior Maddy Mecca (Oceanside, NY) scored her first of three goals on the night with 25:17 remaining. 

From there though, Manhattanville started to pull away. The guests responded to the Mecca strike with four-straight goals, turning the 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 lead less than 10 minutes later.

Mecca's second goal, which came on a man-up opportunity, stopped the bleeding for a moment before the Valiants started to pour it on once again. Over the final 11 minutes of the first half, Manhattanville outscored Purchase, 8-1, to carry a 13-4 lead into the halftime break.

The lone goal for the Panthers during that stretch came from Mecca, as she completed her trifecta with an unassisted effort.  

In the second half, the hosts opened the frame by striking first, as Castles found the goal off a feed from Mecca just a little over two minutes in. Four minutes later, Michelle Gomez (SO/Oceanside, NY) recorded her first-career goal on a wonderful solo strike to cut the deficit to 13-6.

But from there, the guests polished off the win by outscoring Purchase, 9-1, over the final 18 minutes to collect the 22-7 win. 

On the night, Mecca finished with the three goals and an assist, while Castles tallied three goals of her own, five draw controls and two ground balls.

In goal, Casandra Schmoger (SO/Islip, NY) set a career-high in saves for the third-straight game, as she finished with 21. 

Up next for the Panthers is more home Skyline Conference action, as they are set to take on the Golden Eagles of St. Joseph's College-Long Island on April 16th. That game is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. and you can follow along here.