NORTON, Mass. – Sophomore keeper Emma Lapreziosa (Bowdoinham, Maine) stopped all eight shots she faced to record her second career shutout and lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) field hockey team over visiting Worcester Polytechnic Institute in a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference contest this afternoon at Nordin Field on the campus of Wheaton in Norton, Mass. The Lyons improve to 8-8 overall and 4-3 in league play, while the Engineers fall to 10-5 and 4-3. 

Wheaton's win total is its highest since the 2015 campaign and its conference win count is the most since 2011. The win over WPI marks the first Lyons' victory over the Engineers since a 3-1 triumph on October 22, 2016. 

Wheaton honored its five seniors prior to the match, acknowledging Ellie Williams (Wilbraham, Mass.), Lindsday Janeczek (Glastonbury, Conn.), Nathalie Paquette (Williston, Vt.), Phoebe Seifert (Groton, Conn.) and Becca Harmon (Farmington, Maine). 

WPI outshot the home team, 12-5, but the Lyons made the most of their shots, scoring the game's only two goals in the second quarter off penalty corner opportunities. Wheaton held a 5-4 edge in corners. 

Lapreziosa made three saves in both the first and second quarters and one each in the third and fourth periods. The Engineers fired two shots apiece in each final two remaining quarters for the only shots of the second half. 

Wheaton broke into the scoring column with 85 seconds gone in the second quarter, scoring off a penalty corner to take a 1-0 edge. Senior midfielder Lindsay Janeczek (Glastonbury, Conn.) got an early start celebrating the Lyons' senior day, firing a shot from the top of the circle that classmate Ellie Williams (Wilbraham, Mass.) redirected past the Engineers' keeper for her sixth goal of the year. 

The home team got an insurance marker with just 93 seconds left in the first half. Janeczek received the insert pass at the top of the circle from junior back Bridget Healy (Holyoke, Mass.) and sent the ball into the right slot, where junior midfielder Sophie Shekarchi (Jamestown, R.I.) sent a one-timer inside the near post for her team-leading eighth goal of the season and a 2-0 margin. 

The Wheaton defense held strong for the remainder of the match and did not allow a shot on goal in the final nine-plus minutes of action. 

Senior forward Lauren Dishong (Milford, N.H.) paced the WPI offense with a game-high six shots, including three on goal. 

Senior back Natalie Mohn (Huntington, Vt.) and sophomore midfielder Lauren Meinhold (Boxboro, Mass.) each attempted shots ticketed for the cage in the second half for the Engineers, but Lapreziosa denied both chances to preserve the shutout. 

The eight saves for Lapreziosa marks the second-highest total in a shutout by any NEWMAC goalie this season. Junior goalie Nini Acquista (Longmeadow, Mass.) recorded a pair of saves for WPI. 

The Lyons return to action on Wednesday, October 27 when they travel to Bristol, R.I. to take on Roger Williams University at 7:00 p.m., while the Engineers host Nichols College on the same day at 7:00 p.m.