Edwardsville, PA (October 3, 2015) – Senior Meryah Harding scored three goals, moving her one shy of 30 career tallies, but the DeSales University field hockey team dropped a high scoring affair falling at Wilkes University, 5-4, in MAC Freedom action on a windy and cold Saturday afternoon.
 
Wilkes (7-4, 2-0 MAC Freedom) took control early scoring just 1:50 into the game and taking a 2-0 lead in the 19^th minute before sophomore Tess Luzi scored off an assist from fellow sophomore Kelly Meade at 25:25 of the first half.
 
The Colonels added another tally just 2:38 before the half to take a two-goal advantage at the break.
 
Just under nine minutes into the second-half WU took a 4-1 lead before Harding led a comeback for the Bulldogs (2-9, 0-2 MAC Freedom) scoring her first of three goals at 52:20 off an assist from freshman Chelsea DeFrancisco.
 
Wilkes got that goal back just 1:53 later but Harding made it a two-goal game just 47 seconds after that off an assist from sophomore Maggie Zaleski with 15 minutes left to play.
 
DSU threatened over the final two minutes to get within one goal and finally did but after time had expired as Harding netted her third of the game off Meade's second assist of the contest in the one goal loss.
 
Wilkes had a 23-8 advantage in shots and a 16-9 edge in penalty corners.  Freshman Savanna Lacek made six saves in the cage.
 
The Bulldogs are back in action on Tuesday when they host Arcadia University in a non-conference game beginning at 4:00 pm.