FAIRFAX, Va. – A steady rain couldn't dampen a torrid start from the George Mason women's lacrosse team.

The Patriots scored goals on their first 10 shots and held off a Longwood rally in the second half to pick up a 16-11 victory on cold, rainy Saturday afternoon at George Mason Stadium.

Freshman Chachi Kelehan tallied career-highs with five goals and three assists, Jordan Sdanowich had a career-high four goals and Jacquelyn Spalding added three goals as Mason (3-2) led by as many as 11 in the second half.

Barely 10 minutes into the game, the Patriots had staked a 10-goal lead, triggering a running clock. The trio of Kelehan (4), Sdanowich (3) and Spalding (3) accounted for all 10 goals during the stretch. Kelehan's fourth goal of the game with 19:30 left in the first half gave Mason a 10-0 lead and chased Longwood's starting goalkeeper Imani West.

Mason led 12-3 at halftime and pushed the advantage to 11 goals less than three minutes into the second half. Longwood (4-5), however, staged a comeback. Led by five goals – all in the second half – from Madison Stair, the Lancers scored six unanswered goals to pull within 14-9 with 8:55 left.

The Patriots responded 30 seconds later to thwart the Longwood run. After defender Erin Anderson caused a turnover, Mason called a timeout. Out of the timeout, Kelehan connected with Alexa McGovern, who scored for a 15-9 lead with 8:25 to go.

Longwood got as close as 15-11 with 1:59 left. But the Mason defense came up with a big stop, blocking a shot with Kira Greer collecting the ground ball. The offense ran out the last 80 seconds, with Sdanowich scoring the final goal on an assist from Kelehan as time expired.

McGovern also had two goals, Lindsey Tangeman scored once in addition to an own goal by Longwood. The Patriots dominated the draw, 19-9, and goalkeeper Mackenzie Duffy recorded six saves.

Mason hits the road to play Liberty at 6 p.m. on Wednesday in Lynchburg, Va.