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BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - Senior Geneka Mahan (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove Area) recorded the first multiple-goal game of her collegiate career as she lifted the ninth-ranked Bloomsburg University field hockey team to a 3-1 victory over visting Mercyhurst University on Saturday in front of a great crowd at Steph Pettit Stadium during Homecoming Weekend. With the win, the Huskies snapped a modest two-game losing skid and improved to 6-5 overall and 2-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) standings. The Lakers dropped to 5-6 overall and 1-3 in conference action.

The victory was the 100th in the head coaching career of Nikki Rhoads who improved to 100-48 overall in her eighth season as head coach of the Huskies. She is the second coach in program history to reach the milestone and trails only legendary coach, Jan Hutchinson, in career victories at the school.

Mahan scored twice to give her a career-high five tallies on the season - she entered the year with only two career goals in her first three seasons. Meanwhile, sophomore Willow Perkins (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia) added the other Bloomsburg goal as the Huskies improved to 22-0 lifetime against their conference rival.

Perkins got the Huskies on the board with her second goal of the season near the midway mark of the first half. Junior Erica Krebs (Bloomsburg, Pa./Central Columbia) was able to get the ball into the crease and Perkins was there to get a stick on it to redirect it past Mercyhurst goalkeeper, Victoria Triaga. It was the sophomore's first goal since notching her first collegiate goal against Adelphi on September 5.

Just over five minutes later, Mahan gave the Huskies a 2-0 lead with her first goal of the game and fourth of the season. Junior Tali Wehner (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg) took the initial shot that was stopped by Triaga but the rebound ended up on the stick of the senior who knocked it into an empty net. Wehner was credited with the assist - her third helper of the season.

The Huskies outshot the Lakers, 10-5, in the first half and held a 6-2 edge in penalty corners.

But, Mercyhurst came out with pressure at the outset of the second half and made things interesting when Nicolette Tomani scored her team-leading ninth goal of the year less than ten minutes into the second stanza to cut the Bloomsburg lead to 2-1. Katie Ballew had the assist on the goal which forced Rhoads to call a timeout to attempt to shift the momentum back in the home team's favor.

The Lakers stayed on the attack as freshman Hannah Barnard (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) had to make a couple of saves and then got some help from senior Sally DeLuca (West Pittston, Pa./Wyoming Area) who picked up her PSAC-leading sixth defensive save with 19 minutes left in regulation. Moments later, the Huskies went on the offensive and was awarded back-to-back penalty corners with the second resulting in Mahan's second goal of the game and fifth of the season to reclaim a two-goal lead at 3-1. DeLuca fired a shot from just outside the circle and Mahan just got enough of a piece to redirect it past Triaga with 15 minutes remaining to give the Huskies some breathing room.

Barnard and the defense did the rest as Mercyhurst couldn't generate much on offense the rest of the way.

Mercyhurst outshot Bloomsburg, 8-4, in the second half but the Huskies held a slim, 14-13, edge in shots for the contest. The Lakers also took nine penalty corners to Bloomsburg's three in the second half and the visitors held a slight, 11-9, margin in that department.

Freshman Dana Sheply (Maple Shade, N.J./Maple Shade) played the first half in goal for the Huskies and improved to 5-4 on the season after making one first-half save. Barnard stopped five Mercyhurst shots in the second half. Triaga was credited with three saves in a losing effort.

Bloomsburg will be right back in action on Sunday, October 8, when it hosts Lindenwood University in its final non-conference contest of the season. Start time is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at Steph Pettit Stadium.