CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - The 23rd-ranked TCNJ field hockey team was on the road to face off against DeSales Wednesday night, scoring three second-half goals to best the Bulldogs 4-1 in their first road test of the season.
 
After a quiet opening quarter, it was the Lions (2-0) striking first off a penalty corner just over two minutes into the second. A Codie Sciacca insert found the stick of Jadyn Huff outside the circle, with the junior carrying the ball just inside before rifling a shot that found the back of the cage to open up the scoring.
 
DeSales (1-1) looked likely to tie the game in the 23rd minute, but a trio of saves by TCNJ netminder Brigitte Racey kept the Bulldogs off the scoreboard and sent the Lions into halftime up 1-0.
 
TCNJ had a chance to double its lead at the 39:12 mark when the Lions drew a penalty stroke, but Rachael Tetzlaff had her shot turned aside by DeSales' Alyssa Schlossman. Instead it was the Bulldogs converting on their fourth penalty corner in the span of a minute to level the score with just over three minutes to go in the frame.
 
As quickly as momentum may have swung in favor of the hosts, however, it just as quickly returned to TCNJ, with Kara Wilson scoring her first of the season 29 seconds after the equalizer to give the Lions a 2-1 advantage entering the final quarter.
 
Sciacca – who had assisted on both of TCNJ's goals to that point – scored one herself to double the Lions' lead at the 48:27 mark, with a second from Wilson just over a minute later stretching the lead to three. TCNJ's backline played strong to the finish, holding the Bulldogs without a shot for the entirety of the fourth en route to the 4-1 win.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Lions outshot DeSales 13-10 including a narrow 10-9 advantage in shots on goal.
• The Bulldogs held with an 11-3 edge in corners.
• Racey finished with a game-high eight saves – all of which came in the middle quarters – for TCNJ.

NOTES

• This was the first multi-goal outing of Wilson's career – the junior had one goal and one assist to her name before tonight's game.
• Sciacca's two assists were the first of her collegiate career.

UP NEXT

• TCNJ hosts Juniata Saturday, Sept. 6, with the game set to start at 1 p.m.