Box Score

CENTER VALLEY – No. 5 seed Wilkes University took a 2-1 win over No. 4 seeded DeSales in the first round of the Freedom Conference Championship as Bittany Ely scored her first goal of the season which proved to be the game-winner. 

           
Taryn Hallowell (Belvidere, N.J./Belvidere) scored her team-high 14^th goal of the season at 28:09 into the game, rifling a shot from 25 yards out that went off goal keeper Melissa Millili. 

           
Wilkes would hold onto their 1-0 lead through the half, but DeSales' Dana Eustace tied the match with a tap-in at the 60-minute mark.  Just over 13 minutes later, Jessica Gannon (Mercerville, N.J./Steinert) placed a corner kick to Hallowell, who re-directed the ball to Ely before she was there for the tap-in and the game-winner. “Brittany is the player we put on the goalie on corners,” head coach John Sumoski said. “Taryn re-directed the ball to her and she was able to make the short goal.” 

           
Late in the game, the Lady Colonel defense weathered a barrage of shots from DeSales. “Our defense and Jessica Berkey (Johnstown, Pa./Richland) really stepped up in the second half. They really survived a 15-minute offensive surge from them,” Sumoski said. 

           
Wilkes (10-9-1) will now hit the road to face No. 1 seed Eastern on Wednesday in the Freedom Conference Semifinals. The two teams met once this year with Eastern taking a 3-0 win on its home field on Oct. 11. “They are a very strong team and we will have to be at our best to beat them. We will attack them with our numbers. Our plan is to go in there and continue to attack them and hopefully come away with a win,” Sumoski said.