Lyons season comes to a close in NCAA's with 18-2-6 record overall

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Wheaton College women's soccer team, ranked no. 25 overall in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) national poll, had its season come to a close on Saturday afternoon in the sectional semifinal round of the NCAA Division III Tournament with a 3-0 setback to #17 Carnegie Mellon.

The Lyons, who finish up the 2012 season with an 18-2-6 record overall, made their sixth appearance in the Sweet 16 round in program history this afternoon. The Tartans (14-1-4) now advance to the Elite 8 round where they will take on #16 Emory University on Sunday, November 18 at home with first-touch scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

Junior forward Alex Venegas (Los Angeles, Calif./Harvard-Westlake) netted a pair of goals in the first half to help Carnegie Mellon advance in postseason play. Junior back Rachel Contopoulos (Oakland, Calif./Berkeley) also added her first marker of the season in the 67th minute to seal the victory for the Tartans.

Venegas put Carnegie Mellon on the scoreboard just four minutes and four seconds into the match putting home a quick pass from teammate Brianna Magill (Oak Brook, Ill./Downers Grove North) past Lyons freshman goalkeeper Taylor Wilson (Bellingham, Mass./Bellingham) for a 1-0 advantage and her fifth tally of the season.

Venegas doubled the Tartans gap in the 18th minute connecting on a hard strike from about 15-yards out into the back of the net for her second of the game (seventh overall).

Wilson made five saves in goal for Wheaton in 80 minutes and eight seconds of play while classmate and goalkeeper Ali Hinton (Lafayette, Colo./Alexander Dawson School) did not have to record a save in nearly ten minutes of action, in a reserve role.

Junior goalkeer Anna Albi (Cincinnati, Ohio/Summit Country Day) needed three saves to record her eighth shutout of the season in goal for Carnegie Mellon. The Tartans outshot the Lyons, 15-6, and won the corners matchup, 4-0.

Wheaton advanced to the sectional semifinal round of the NCAA Division III Tournament after earning a pair of wins last weekend on Saturday, November 10 and Sunday, November 11 against Westfield State University (1-0, OT) and #9 Williams College (1-0). The Lyons, who are now 0-1 overall against Carnegie Mellon in program history, collected their 13th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance this season with an at-large bid and made their first appearance in the Sweet 16 round since 2005.