Box Score
The Wilkes University women's lacrosse team could not overcome a slow start at Ralston Field on Saturday afternoon and fell to conference foe FDU-Florham 17-13.
With the loss the Lady Colonels see their record move to 4-2 on the year and 0-2 in the MAC, while FDU has their record improve to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the league.
FDU jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead less than three minutes into the game and would extend that margin to 8-2 with just under 13 minutes remaining in the opening half. Wilkes would answer with three of the game's next four goals to cut the margin to 9-5 at the half.
The Devils turned up their intensity to start the second half, extending their advantage to 15-6 with 18 minutes remaining in the game. However, Wilkes would not fold and seemed to begin to score at will.
Analicia Jost (Mt. Ephraim, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) buried a shot off of a feed from
Melissa Polchinski (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) with 16:35 remaining, but was quickly answered by a free-position goal by Erin Reilly of FDU to keep the margin at nine.
Wilkes then rattled off six straight goals over the next 11 minutes, cutting the lead to 16-13 with just under five minutes remaining in the contest. However, Breana Kilpatrick was able to score a man-down goal to push the lead back to four, and seal the victory.
Seven different players found the scoring column for the Lady Colonels, led by
Brittney Hodnik (Binghamton, N.Y./Binghamton)'s five scores. Jost added three tallies, while Polchinski had a stellar day setting up her teammates with five assists as well as one goal of her own.
Lindsey Parent connected for five scores and two assists, Reilly had four scores and one assist, Amanda Wayne had three goals, while Kilpatrick and Kristen Schuster had two goals and one assist apiece.
Cassie Cronin (Manchester, NH/Manchester Memorial) kept Wilkes in the game all day by registering a school-record 24 saves between the pipes in the losing effort. Christine Dunn received the win after making two saves in the first half, while Kelly Butler also registered two saves playing the goal position for FDU in the second stanza.
The Lady Colonels will return to action on Monday when they travel to Bethlehem to take on Moravian College at 4 p.m.
