Box Score Braga scores game-winner in 91st minute
NORTON, Mass. – Wheaton College senior forward Kristina Braga (Lowell, Mass./Lowell) deposited a flicked through ball by sophomore forward Cat Amick (Vashon, Wash./Vashon Island) into the back of the net in the 91st minute to give the Lyons a 3-2 comeback victory in overtime over UMass Boston in non-conference action at Mirrione Stadium on Thursday evening.
Braga's game-winner in the 91st minute of the contest was the third of her career and 17th goal overall in 50 games played. Junior forward Lauren Corigliano (Roselle Park, N.J./Roselle Park) tied up the score at 2-2 at the 84:45 mark on an unassisted tally, while freshman forward Kaitlin Montoya (Placentia, Calif./Orange Lutheran) buried Wheaton's first goal in the 47th minute.
UMass Boston junior forward Krista Ledin (Bridgewater, Mass./West Bridgewater) tallied both markers for the Beacons to improve her standing at the top of the all-time career goals list to 54 total.
Trailing 2-1 with less than ten minutes to play in the second half, Corigliano gathered a loose ball in the box and eventually chipped a shot over UMass Boston sophomore goalkeeper Kristen Spain (Quincy, Mass./Archbishop Williams) into the net after a scramble for the ball to even the score.
Senior forward Tayla Andrews (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth South) nearly potted the all-important insurance goal for the Beacons in the 79th minute firing a strike over the reach of Wheaton sophomore goalkeeper Ali Hinton (Lafayette, Colo./Alexander Dawson School) into the crossbar.
The Lyons orchestrated two quality scoring chances before the overtime session as sophomore forward/midfielder Julia Cipriano (Middlebury, Conn./Pomperaug) had her go-ahead bid headed away by UMass Boston senior back Alli Modzelewski (Newtown, Conn./Newtown) near the goal line and sophomore forward/midfielder Alex Leonardi (Kennebunkport, Maine/Kennebunk) endured the same fate as Andrews heading a ball into the crossbar in the 88th minute.
Amick wasted little time facilitating the game-winner to Braga in the extra session as the duo secured Wheaton's first home victory of the season in just 56-seconds. After receiving Amick's pass, Braga held off a defender and slipped a shot into the lower left corner of the net for her fourth goal of the year.
Spain compiled a game-high nine saves in net, while Hinton recorded one stop. The Lyons outshot UMass Boston, 28-12, and held a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Wheaton (2-2-1) travels to Salem State University on Saturday, September 14 for a non-conference clash at 3:30 p.m. UMass Boston (2-3) visits Southern Maine on Saturday, September 21 for a 1 p.m. non-conference game. With the win, the Lyons remain perfect in the all-time series against the Beacons with a 3-0 record. Wheaton has outscored UMass Boston 9-6 in a series that has never been decided in regulation. The Lyons first meeting with the Beacons in 2011, a 1-0 triumph, is the only contest to go into double overtime.
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