EDWARDSVILLE – The Wilkes University field hockey team squeaked out a hard-fought win at Bruggeworth Field Saturday afternoon, besting Junita College by a score of 1-0 in the Landmark Conference matchup.
 
The win boosted Wilkes' overall record to 7-5 and evened out their Landmark record at 2-2. Juniata fell to 4-8 on the season while their conference record dropped to 1-3.
 
Anmarie Lebron (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken) and Caitlin Keim (Trevorton, PA/Line Mountain) opened the game by firing three shots for the Colonels, but were unable to find the back of the net.
 
Carly Eidle (East Greenville, PA/Upper Perkiomen) was tested with two consecutive shots in the 13th minute of the first quarter. The Wilkes goalkeeper stood tall, making both saves. Shortly thereafter, Cortney Keim (Trevorton, PA/Line Mountain) supported the Colonels' defense with two defensive saves that kept the game scoreless.
 
The second quarter was a tight battle as neither team allowed a scoring opportunity. Heading into halftime, teams were deadlocked at zero.
 
Morgan Hermanofski (Shickshinny, PA/Northwest Area) set the tone coming out of the break by sending a shot in on Eagles' goalkeeper Brittney McMullen, who made the stop just 36 seconds into the third quarter. The Colonels went on to receive two penalty corners and generate shots on goal by Keim and LeBron, but were still unable to put the ball past McMullen.
 
Momentum swung in Juniata's favor later in the third quarter when the Eagles were awarded three penalty corners, but were only able to register one shot which was blocked by a WIlkes defender. Juniata continued to apply pressure in the Colonels' zone but couldn't capitalize on their opportunities.  With fifteen minutes to go in the contest, the score remained 0-0.
 
In the final frame, Wilkes responded to the Eagles' late third quarter surge by trapping Juniata in their own zone and forcing two penalty corners. On the ladder attempt, Maura Hensel (Selinsgrove, PA/Selinsgrove) delivered a pass to Olivia Gayoski (Forty Fort, PA/Wyoming Valley West), who was parked in front of the Eagle's goal crease. Gayoski buried a shot past McMullen to score her fifth goal of the season and give Wilkes a 1-0 lead at 47:31.
 
Juniata refused to go down quietly after giving up the goal, putting three shots on goal in the 56th minute of action. Eidle stood her ground and turned away all three shots, keeping their  lead intact. The Colonels maintained control of the ball for the majority of the final minutes and kept play away from their own goal. They were able to run out the clock and capture the victory 1-0.
 
The win marked Ashley Irwin's 75th career victory as a collegiate head coach.
 
LeBron and Keim shared the team lead with three shots each. Gayoski was the game's lone goal scorer with Hensel picking up an assist on the play. Eidle made six saves in the shutout victory.
 
Aimee Buffington and Colleen Creneti both tallied three shots for the Eagles. McMullen made four saves in the loss.
 
The Colonels return to action on Wednesday when they travel to the University of Scranton for a 7:00 p.m. Landmark Conference showdown with the Royals.