Essendon was left rueing a second-half fade out after falling by just eight points in its AFL Victoria beyondblue round two clash with Melbourne Uni.

The Bombers held an eight-point lead at half-time and were handling the windy conditions better than the Mugars. However, three straight goals saw Melbourne Uni grab a lead that it never relinquished and Essendon was caught short 4.4 (28) to 5.6 (36).

Pugnacious small forward Valerie Moreau got her side off to an unexpected strong start when she converted from a holding the ball free kick 11 minutes into the first quarter.

She was soon joined by Jess Anwyl and Mon DeMatteo, who both kicked the first goals in their Essendon careers in the second quarter as the Bombers claimed a lead at a break for the first time.

The third quarter was a crossroads moment for the young Essendon side and the Bombers were overrun in the first 13 minutes. Melbourne Uni kicked three goals straight with midfielders Ash Riddell and Emma Kearney proving influential, while the Bombers didn’t hit the scoreboard until a Danielle Ponter snap a breath before three-quarter time.

The match hung in the balance at the start of the final term with the Bombers three points in arrears and the Essendon defence was put under the pump.

Kirby Hicks and Tait Mackrill combined to ensure the Mugars yielded just six straight behinds for their efforts. However, Essendon was unable to break beyond the centre square and the siren sounded with Melbourne Uni holding the upper hand.

The Bombers fielded three debutants in Courtney Ugle, Kendra Heil and GWS utility Maddy Collier.

“It was a game of two halves,” coach Brendan Major said after the match.

“We pressured well in the first half and got some scoreboard reward, but faded in the second half. I think our ball use hurt us all day.”

Essendon will hit the tarmac next week and fly north to take on NT Thunder at TIO Stadium on Saturday.