NEWBERRY – The Newberry Wolves (2-4) clawed back from an early hole to give themselves a chance against the Wilmington Wildcats (2-3), but couldn't quite complete the comeback, falling to the visiting team 19-16 at Setzler Field.
 
The Wolves got off to a decent start, with Chloe Wood matching two early Wilmington goals to keep the score leveled at 2-2, but the Wildcats were able to pour on a 6-0 scoring run over the course of about six minutes, taking an 8-2 lead that they would never relinquish.
 
Rachel Dillon was able to get on the board for her first goal of the day to break up the run as well as scoring Newberry's next two goals to cut into the deficit.
 
Newberry found a spark off a goal from Taylor Dorion, capitalizing with a 4-0 scoring run to pull back to within three goals, heading into the halftime break trailing Wilmington 12-9.
 
The Wolves got off to a rocky start to begin the second frame, with the Wildcats scoring three goals through the first eight minutes compared to Newberry's one, pushing their lead to 15-10.
 
Things looked grim for the home team, but the Wolves were able to find the remedy in the form of another 4-0 scoring run, led by two goals from Sophie Moore to pull back to within one goal.
 
Unfortunately for the Wolves, the Wildcats had a strong response.
 
Using four unanswered goals of their own over the course of about five minutes, Wilmington claimed a 19-14 lead over the Wolves with just over nine minutes left on the clock.
 
Newberry's defense stiffened as they didn't allow another Wilmington goal for the rest of the game, and both Dillon and Wood found the back of the net once more, but it proved too little too late as the Wildcats walked away with a 19-16 victory.
 
Wood led all scorers with seven goals on the day, a career-high from the freshman standout, as well as recording one assist. Dillon finished with four goals and a team-high two assists for six points on the day, while Moore finished with three goals of her own.
 
Dorion and Sydney Britton also contributed one goal each, while freshman Casey McCabe was able to record her first career-assist.
 
The Wolves were outshot by the Wildcats 39-28 on the day, but were able to handle more draw controls than their opponent, finishing with a 21-16 advantage in the circle.
 
Newberry returns to Setzler Field on Saturday, March 9 for a noon game against the Catawba Indians of Catawba College, the South Atlantic Conference opener for the Wolves this season.