NORTHAMPTON, Mass. -- The Mount Holyoke College lacrosse team suffered its first loss of the season in its first conference game on Saturday, falling 20-7 at Smith College as the Lyons opened NEWMAC play.

Mount Holyoke (4-1) fell behind 3-0 in the first seven minutes, but got back-to-back goals from senior Emi Bisson (Chester, Conn.) and sophomore Juliana Spaulding (Wakefield, Mass.) to make it 3-2 with 5:04 to go in the first quarter.

Layna Fitzgerald and Kyra Hawk both scored for Smith in the game's 14th minute to restore a three-goal lead for the Bears at 5-2 going into the second quarter.

Smith extended its run to 8-0 with six straight goals in the second quarter, including Hawk's third and fourth of the game, for a commanding 11-2 lead with 2:23 left in the half. Lyons first-year Rory Bernardo (Oaklyn, N.J.) scored her third goal to close the gap to 11-3 before intermission.

Smith won seven of eight draws in the third quarter to help the Bears keep the Lyons at bay and extend their lead to 16-5 after three quarters. First-year Grace Bird (Deerfield, Mass.) scored her fifth free-position goal and ninth of the season, and Spaulding also scored on a Bisson assist in the period.

Spaulding scored twice more in the fourth quarter to tie her season-high with four goals in the game, but Mount Holyoke couldn't cut into Smith's lead over the course of the period. Spaulding has 18 goals through five games.

Hawk finished with seven goals to lead Smith, while Caroline Sanders added four goals and Jordan Hoffman and Jenna Paczkowski had three goals apiece.

Smith (5-2, 1-0 NEWMAC) had a 32-18 advantage in shots and 17-9 in draw controls.

Mount Holyoke (4-1, 0-1 NEWMAC) was scheduled to play at SUNY Old Westbury on Wednesday, but that game has been rescheduled to April 12. The Lyons are next slated to host Coast Guard in a NEWMAC contest on Saturday, March 21 at 12pm.