Steve Finkernagel

Jessica MacConchie and Wilkes host Misericordia Thursday in a Freedom Conference semifinal at 5:00 p.m.

WILKES WOMEN’S LACROSSE TO HOST MISERICORDIA IN FREEDOM CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL THURSDAY

4/30/2014 9:52:00 AM

WILKES WOMEN'S LACROSSE TO HOST MISERICORDIA IN FREEDOM CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL THURSDAY

EDWARDSVILLE, PA – The Wilkes University women's lacrosse team broke the school's single season wins mark finishing 12-2 overall this year and earned the second seed in the upcoming Freedom Conference Tournament. The Lady Colonels look to become the first women's lacrosse team in Wilkes history to reach a conference championship game when they host third seeded Misericordia University Thursday at 5:00 p.m. at Schmidt Stadium.

Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students while children under age six will be admitted free.

Fans can follow the action through live stats and live video at the links below.

Live Stats

Live Video

The two teams met only one week ago with Wilkes coming out on top 18-10. Wilkes took an early 8-3 halftime lead and started the game leading 5-0. In the second half, Misericordia was able to trim the lead to 12-9 before Wilkes used a three-goal run to extend the lead back to 15-9. Wilkes tallied the final three goals of the game giving them the 18-10 home win.

Wilkes is led by junior All-Freedom performer Carley Smith (York, PA/Dallastown) who leads the entire Freedom Conference with 93 points. Smith has scored 50 goals on the year along with 43 assists making her a nightmare for opponent's defenses.

Fresh off of scoring her 200^th career goal senior Gabby Ford (Elmont, NY/Sewanhaka) is second on the team with 78 points. Ford has a knack for scoring goals as she has 51 on the season; however, she can also pass the ball well chipping in with 27 assists on the year. Sophomore duo Madeleine Brownsey (Glenside, PA/St. Basil Academy) and Tori Kerr (Beacon, NY/Beacon) are main targets in the attacking zone and have been solid goal scorers all season long. Kerr leads the Freedom Conference with 55 goals while Brownsey is tied for second in the league with 54 goals scored.

As a team the Lady Colonels high scoring offense has outscored their opponents 251-127, including a 161-59 first half advantage.

On the backline All-Freedom defender sophomore Jessica MacConchie (Jackson, NJ/Jackson) has played at a very high level and has been one of the defensive players for the Navy and Gold. MacConchie has collected 38 ground balls and caused 21 turnovers. In net, freshman goalie Morgan Galluzzo (New London, NH/Kearsarge Regional) is allowing 9.41 goals per-game while making 74 saves on the year.

A year after not winning a single game and being picked to finish last in the 2014 Freedom Conference Pre-Season poll, the Cougars finished third in the league and upset the defending Freedom Conference Champions FDU-Florham earlier in the season. Misericordia boasts a balanced attack as eight players have 10 goals or more on the season. Melina Juliano leads the team with 53 points (41 G, 12 A). Liz Mulvey is second on the team with 35 points (32 G, 3 A). Misericordia is averaging 12.73 goals per-game.

Freedom Rookie of the Year Katie McLoughlin has made a big impact in goal for the Cougars. McLoughlin is 6-7 in her rookie season with a Freedom Conference high 142 saves.

The winner of the semifinal match will advance to Saturday's Freedom Conference championship game against the winner of top-seeded Arcadia University and fourth seeded FDU-Florham at the highest remaining seed.

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