EDWARDSVILLE – Nine different Colonels reached the points column as the Wilkes University women's lacrosse team posted a 16-11 MAC Freedom victory over visiting Delaware Valley Wednesday night at Schmidt Stadium.
 
Wilkes picked up its second win of the season moving to 2-4 overall and 2-3 in MAC Freedom games, Delaware Valley remained winless falling to 0-7 overall and 0-3 in league contests.
 
The Colonels jumped out to a 3-0 lead scoring all three goals in the first three minutes of the first half. Laura Bayzick (Hazleton, PA/Hazleton Area) opened the scoring with her fourth tally of the season followed by a free position goal by Ashley Burkhardt (Havre de Grace, MD/Havre de Grace). Bayzick then added her second of the game at the 27:07 mark to finish off the opening run.
 
Delaware Valley answered with back-to-back goals at the 26:37 and 24:57 marks respectively cutting the Wilkes advantage to one. Four straight goals from Wilkes pushed the lead back to five as Delaney Lukowski (Seneca Falls, NY/Mynderse Academy), Burkhardt (2X) and Brooklyn Pedana (Yatesville, PA/Pittston Area) notched the goals for the Colonels during the span.
 
After an Aggies goal at the 12:19 mark, Camryn Devitt (Northampton, PA/Northampton) found the back of the net off an assist from Domenica Lerch (Northampton, PA/Northampton) and Bayzick posted her third of the game to up the lead to 9-3 with under nine minutes left in the half.
 
Lerch scored her second of the contest at the 3:53 mark before Delaware Valley closed out the first half scoring with Wilkes leading 10-5 at the break.
 
The Aggies continued to climb back into the game scoring the first two goals of the second half as the Wilkes advantage was trimmed to 10-7 with 25:23 left in the game. Devitt kept pace with her 10^th goal of the season thanks to a helper from Maleah Cobham (Westbury, NY/W.T. Clarke) as Wilkes led 11-7.
 
Delaware Valley scored twice over the next four minutes as the Aggies continued to fight back into the contest trailing 11-9 with 16:45 remaining.
 
After a Wilkes timeout to settle, Allyson Joly (Lincoln, RI/Tilton) scored her first goal of the season extending the lead to 12-9 with 14:43 left, Lerch answered an Aggie goal when she scored off a free position as Wilkes continued to lead 13-10 with 8:55 on the clock.
 
Lerch then became the third Colonel to post a hat trick joining Bayzick and Burkhardt when she fired home a free position shot with 4:34 left in the game. Bayzick followed with her fourth goal as the lead grew to 15-10 with under four minutes.
 
Delaware Valley added one more goal to cut the lead to four, but the Colonels used its last two possessions to run out the clock including a Devitt goal to seal the victory.
 
Lerch, Devitt and Bayzick all recorded four points in the win. Lerch and Devitt each finished with three goals and one assist while Bayzick added four goals. Burkhardt finished with three goals while Pedana and Lukowski added one goal and an assist each.
 
Ashley Coughlin (Northampton, PA/Northampton) finished with nine saves to record the win in goal for Wilkes.
 
Wilkes is back in action Saturday when it concludes its home schedule with a MAC Freedom game against FDU-Florham on Senior Day at Schmidt Stadium starting at 1:00 p.m.