WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – In a game that decided the sixth and final Landmark Conference field hockey playoff qualifier, host Wilkes University edged the Rangers 1-0 Wednesday evening to capture the last spot in the newly-formatted postseason.
 
In the previous seasons, the top four teams in the Landmark Conference qualified for its championship tournament, but with the addition of Lycoming College and Wilkes this season, the top six are now admitted to the postseason.
 
The Rangers closed out the season with a 7-10 record while posting the team's most conference victories (three) and highest conference winning percentage (.333) since the 2013 campaign.
 
Playing in her hometown in her final collegiate outing, senior Olyvia Jackson made seven saves for the Rangers. She concluded her career with 337 saves over three seasons, placing her ninth in school history.
 
Wilkes finished with a slight 11-10 shot advantage while the Rangers earned a 10-3 surplus in penalty corners.
 
The Colonels (9-8, 4-5 LC) scored the game's only goal 1:55 into the contest, as Maura Hensel scored off an assist from Morgan Hermanofski on a scramble in front of the cage. Wilkes outshot the Rangers 9-4 in the opening quarter, but that's when Jackson collected five of her saves.
 
The remainder of the contest featured a defensive battle in which the two sides combined for just eight shots. The Rangers took the only two shots of the second quarter, both Colonel keeper Carly Eidle saved both to keep it a one-goal game.
 
Drew generated additional opportunities with three shots in the third quarter, but Eidle registered two more saves to keep the shutout intact.
 
Both sides managed just one shot in the fourth quarter, but the Rangers provided an exciting finish, earning back-to-back corners in the final minute. But Wilkes yielded only one shot in the sequence, and a blast from the top of the arc from senior Jackie Melone on the first corner was blocked by the defense.
 
Five different Rangers – seniors Melone and Maxine Lloyd, juniors Janelle Arch and Tyler Olivio, and sophomore Emily Monaco – placed a shot on goal while Melone led Drew with three total shots for the night.