Meredith Campbell

Box score

Senior forward Meredith Campbell (Media, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) set a University of Scranton single-game record with five goals to lead The University of Scranton field hockey team to a 5-3 victory over Wilkes on Tuesday night at Fitzpatrick.

Campbell scored three quick first-half goals, then added two more in the second half to set the record and keep the Royals (9-0) unbeaten. Her five goals eclipse the previous mark of four in a game, accomplished six times by four different players, the most recent by teammate Elizabeth Tolley (Brookside, N.J./West Morris Mendham) in a 5-1 win over Misericordia on Sept. 12 of this season.

The Royals' 9-0 start to the season matches the best in program history, also achieved in 2015.

Campbell scored goals in the 11th, 15th and 18th minutes of the first half to put the Royals ahead, 3-0. She added to the lead with her fourth goal in the 61st minute before Wilkes (3-6) scored twice to draw within striking distance.

But Scranton earned a penalty stroke when a Wilkes player dove to the ground to block a shot and it hit her body. Campbell stepped up to take the stroke and calmly lifted it into the upper left corner for the historic goal, breaking a record that stood for nearly 25 years.

Campbell now has 16 goals on the season, tied for sixth-most in a single season in school history. The school record is 25, set by Denise Atkinson in 1985. Campbell also has 26 career goals -- all in the past two seasons -- which rank tied for 12th in school history.

Tolley and freshman midfielder Megan Gallagher (Thorndale, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) had assists in the victory. Freshman goalkeeper Jenna Cyr (Coopersburg, Pa./Southern Lehigh) made three first-half saves for her seventh win of the season, and sophomore defender Lauren Earnshaw (Audubon, Pa./Methacton) had a defensive save to stall the Wilkes comeback attempt.

Scranton held a slim 18-14 edge in shots while Wilkes had a 6-2 advantage in penalty corners.

The field hockey team will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 30, when the Royals host Elizabethtown in a Landmark Conference matchup at 1 p.m. at Fitzpatrick Field.

--ROYALS--