WILKES-BARRE - The Wilkes University field hockey team defeated the Juniata College Eagles 3-1 at Schmidt Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Colonels improve to 7-5 overall and 2-0 in Landmark Conference play, and the Eagles drop to 2-10 overall and 0-2 in conference play.

Both teams found success on the offensive end in the first half, but the Colonels took control of the game from the very beginning. Elizabeth Hodder (Elysburg, PA/Southern Columbia) set up Maddie Karp (Pittston, PA/Pittston Area) for her seventh goal of the season at 7:13 to give the Colonels a 1-0 lead. Just over a minute later, both teammates did it again as a quick pass from Hodder gave Karp a great shot for her second goal of the game to make it 2-0.

That score held going into the second quarter, but the Eagles fought back to cut into the deficit. On a penalty corner at 22:20, Sophia Ganley's initial shot was saved by Colonels goalie Chloe Gilroy (Manchester, NH/Pace University), but the rebound went straight to Jane Corbin who hammered it home to make it 2-1 Wilkes. 

Not long after, the Colonels got their cushion back. Taylor Bower (Bloomsburg, PA/Bloomsburg) pushed the offense up the field and found a hole in the Juniata defense to fire a shot that found the back of the cage, making it 3-1 Colonels at 25:39.

Wilkes went into halftime with the two-goal lead, and in the third quarter both teams played phenomenal defense as neither team took a shot or earned a penalty corner. That brought the game to the fourth, where both defenses continued to hold their own. However, the Colonels did manage to outshoot the Eagles 5-1 in the quarter and keep control of the ball to prevent any chance of a Juniata comeback.

For the full game Wilkes outshot Juniata 15-10 and earned more penalty corners 7-4, but the Eagles managed more shots on goal 9-7. Karp finished the game with two goals and Hodder earned assists on both goals. Bower also earned her fourth goal of the season in the game. At goalie, Gilroy had another strong outing with seven saves and allowed one goal.

The Colonels stay home for their next game against Susquehanna University on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m.