WILKES-BARRE, PA (September 11, 2024) -- Sophomore Davina Krappa put the King's College field hockey team on the board with a penalty stroke, and first year Ellie Parra tacked on the insurance goal as the Monarchs defeated cross-town rival Wilkes, 2-0, in non-conference action on Wednesday night. With the win at McCarthy Stadium, the Monarchs improved to 1-2, while the Colonels dropped to 2-2.
 
King's (1-2) controlled the early pace of the game, putting up a 3-0 edge in shots through the opening quarter, but some great defensive stops by the Colonels kept the game scoreless through the first 15 minutes of action.
 
It did not take long into the second quarter for the Monarchs to put on the pressure, and after a flurry of attempts in front of the cage King's was awarded a penalty stroke. Krappa stepped up and sent the ball into the bottom left corner of the cage past the Wilkes (2-2) defender to give King's the lead, 1-0, in the 17^th minute. It was a physical contest down the stretch, but it seemed to remain in favor of the Monarchs as they had the lone shot in the remainder of the period. The game remained in favor of King's, 1-0, at the break.
 
The Monarchs kept their stride in the third, earning two penalty corners before Parra took a rebounded shot off the Colonel goalkeeper's pads and placed it in the bottom right corner of the cage to push their advantage to 2-0. Wilkes found some energy, matching the Monarchs' efforts down the stretch, but King's continued to hold their 2-0 lead heading into the final 15 minutes of play.
 
The visitors applied the pressure late, tallying four shots and three corners to three attempts and two opportunities for King's, but great defensive stops by the Monarchs kept the Colonels at bay as King's secured their first win of the season, 2-0, over their cross-town rivals Wilkes.
 
Krappa scored off her two shots in the game, while Parra tallied her first collegiate goal on a pair of shots in the contest. Emma Clark paced the offense with four shots, while Emily Bollinger collected her first career victory in the cage with two saves in the shutout.
 
Morgan Hermanofski led Wilkes with two shots, while both Cortney Keim and Emma Dengler posted defensive saves. Olivia Wickel earned the loss despite recording four saves.
 
As a team, the Monarchs had an 11-6 advantage in total shots and a dominant 8-2 effort in shots on goal. Additionally, King's posted eight goals to just six by the Colonels.
 
The Monarchs will be on the road for the first time in their 2024 campaign on Saturday afternoon as they travel to McDaniel College for a 1:00 p.m. contest.