DOYLESTOWN (Pa.) – The Delaware Valley University women's lacrosse team played a tightly contested first half, but visiting Wilkes University used a big second half to earn a 12-5 victory in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom opener.

It took over eight minutes for either team to get on the board as the defenses kept the offense in check until Domenic Lerch set up Camryn Devitt to give Wilkes (3-5, 1-0 MAC Freedom) a 1-0 lead. Just over a minute later DelVal (1-6, 0-1 MAC Freedom) responded when Ashley Birmingham sliced through the middle of the defense and netted her first of the day to tie the game at 1-1.

The Colonels regained the lead just before the end of the first as Savannah Bauman took a pass from Allyson Joly and beat the Aggie keeper with 13 seconds on the clock.  Each team had seven ground balls and six turnovers in the first.

Bauman scored her second of the game 100 seconds into the second quarter to extend the Wilkes lead to 3-1, but DelVal responded again to even the score shortly after as Birmingham scored two unassisted tallies separated by just 3:43.

In the final five minutes of the second half the Colonels got two goals from Devitt to take a 5-3 lead into the break. Wilkes won the ground ball battle in the second quarter, 5-1, and forced DelVal into six turnovers while committing just five of its own.

In the second half, the Colonels took advantage of 18 ground balls and eight free position attempts and outscored the Aggies 7-2 to earn the 12-5 triumph. Birmingham netted both second half tallies for DelVal to finish with a career-high five goals in the game.

The duo of Bauman and Devitt combined for seven goals to lead Wilkes and Lerch added two goals and two assists while Bayzick finished with two goals and one assist.

Katie Frey made nine saves in net for the Aggies while her counterpart Ashley Coughlin made four stops at the other end.