Outstanding long-range strikes from Alyssa Mocion and Laura Roney in the second half completed a late comeback and put the Misericordia University women's soccer team in the Freedom Conference playoffs with a 2-1 victory at Wilkes, Saturday.

Down 1-0 with 14 minutes to play, Mocion picked up a deflected shot and hit a 20-yard blast from the top of the box to tie the game.

Just over five minutes later it was Roney who hit a beautiful dipping shot from 25 yards out that found the back of the net, off an assist from Bridget Fortier.

The Cougars were given the chance to advance with a victory after Delaware Valley was held to a draw at Manhattanville. MU moved into fourth place with the win and will travel to FDU-Florham on Wednesday for a Freedom Conference semifinal matchup. FDU grabbed the top seed with an upset over defending champion Eastern.

Wilkes led 1-0 at halftime, after a Taryn Hollowell penalty kick in the 36th minute. The Colonel senior put her shot off the right post and in, after the woodwork had denied her teammate Lyndsay Ellis a remarkable three times in the opening 32 minutes of play.

First Roney was the one unlucky not to score, ripping a 20-yard shot off the crossbar less than 10 minutes in.

Wilkes came right back the other way and Ellis hit the crossbar with a header off a corner kick. The rebound bounced to Jana Martin but the sophomore popped her shot over the goal. Later in the period, Ellis headed another corner kick off the crossbar, with Megan Clementson's rebound chance smothered by MU goalkeeper Morgan Myers.

Two minutes later, Ellis shot from outside the area ricocheted off the right post. Wilkes' run of bad luck would end four minutes after that however, with Hollowell's penalty.

Misericordia had a few other good chances in the first half. Early on, Emily Esposito got behind the defense but shot just wide right. In the 20th minute, Sam Helmstetter swung a ball in to Kim Suchoski, who knocked it down to Roney. The sophomore put her shot on goal but Wilkes' Samantha Rohn went down to her left to smother the attempt.

The Cougars end the regular season at 12-5-2, 3-3-1 and will travel to FDU-Florham on Wednesday.


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