NEWBERRY – The Newberry Wolves (2-2) were able to withstand a second-half rally from the visiting Erskine Flying Fleet (0-6), taking care of business at home for a nail-biting 19-18 victory.
 
After nearly five minutes of scoreless play to begin the game, the Wolves were able to catch fire, reeling off three goals in just 28 seconds. Chloe Wood got things started for Newberry by taking advantage of a man-up situation to slot a goal, with Sophie Moore tacking on two more in back-to-back fashion to push the Wolves out in front by three goals.
 
Less than two minutes later, Dillon got in on the action, firing in an unassisted goal to extend the lead, with Wood following suit to give the Wolves a strong 5-0 advantage just 10 minutes into the game.
 
Just when it looked like the Flying Fleet might fly home in blowout fashion, Erskine's Kayleigh Burns was able to find the back of the net to get the scoring started for the visiting team.
 
This started a 3-1 run for Erskine, who found themselves squarely in the mix with a 6-3 deficit on the board, but the Wolves were committed to keeping their foot on the gas. Freshman Taylor Dorion scored her first goal of the season to bring the Wolves back to life, and Dillon continued her strong start to the day with a pair of goals less than a minute apart, pushing the Wolves lead to 9-3.
 
Again, however, the Flying Fleet was able to muster a response, pushing through on the offensive end and walking into the halftime break with an extremely manageable 10-8 deficit.
 
That strong finish carried over into the second half, where Erskine flew out of the gate with a pair of goals in just over a minute to tie things up for the first time in the game. Dillon attempted to halt the Fleet's onslaught with yet another goal, but Erskine wouldn't relent, pouring in three consecutive goals to take a 13-11 lead, their first lead of the entire game.
 
For the next few minutes, breathing room on the scoreboard was a luxury that neither team could seem to attain. The Wolves would score, and the Fleet would answer. The Fleet would pull ahead, and the Wolves would climb right back to even.
 
Finally, the Wolves were able to capitalize on a Flying Fleet penalty, with Sophie Moore slotting an unassisted goal to put the Wolves in front 16-15.
 
That goal sparked a 4-0 scoring run that would put the Wolves in the lead for good, culminating in another pair of goals from Dillon less than a minute apart from one another.

The Wolves scored their final goal with 8:28 remaining on the clock, and despite a valiant comeback effort from the Flying Fleet, it proved to be just enough. When the final buzzer sounded, Newberry had secured the 19-18 victory to move back to .500 on the year.
 
Dillon was the star of the day for the Wolves, pouring in a game-high seven goals, tying a career-high for the senior. Her contributions didn't end there, as Dillon also connected on a game-high five assists, also a career-high.
 
Moore and Wood scored four goals each, with Dorion scoring the first three goals of her collegiate career for her first hat trick. Freshman Keegan Hanson rounded out the scoring for Newberry, notching the first goal of her collegiate career.
 
Newberry was vastly outshot by Erskine, with the Flying Fleet putting up 51 shots to the Wolves' 29, but goalkeeper Brandy Bowman's 17 saves helped to keep the damage to a minimum and gave the Wolves the protection they needed to squeak out the win.
 
The win moves the Wolves to 2-2 on the season, and they'll hit the road for the first time since the season-opener for their next game, taking on the Embry-Riddle Eagles on Saturday, March 2 at 4:00 pm.