WORCESTER, Mass. -- First year midfielder Emma-Jane Parsons (Oakland, Maine) scored a pair of goals to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over host Worcester Polytechnic Institute this evening in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at H. Carr Field in Worcester, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 6-4-4 overall and 2-2-2 in league play, while the Engineers slip to 6-3-4 and 3-1-2.
Wheaton made the most of its opportunities, despite being out-shot by its host, 19-7. WPI also held a 5-3 margin in corner kicks.
The Lyons scored both of their goals in the first 32 minutes of play, while their defense held the Engineers without a marker for just over 87 minutes before WPI scored its lone goal in the 88th minute of play off the foot of junior back Rian Fadden (Leicester, Mass.).
Wheaton got on the board in the 21st minute of play to take a 1-0 edge. Senior back Allison Kramer (Irvine, Calif.) served a long ball from the right sideline into the box, where the Engineer keeper came off her line to meet the ball dropping out of the air, but in her effort to punch the ball away from the goalmouth, the ball got behind her. Parsons was there for her first tally of the night.
The Lyons added their second goal in the 32nd minute to take a 2-0 margin. Sophomore forward Mackenna Reynolds (Longmeadow, Mass.) lifted a cross from the right side to the near post, where Parsons was able to put her head on it for her third goal of the season and a 2-0 lead with 13:39 left to play in the opening half.
WPI threatened to make it a one-goal game in the 56th minute when senior back Lottie McLeod (Newton, Mass.) fired a shot off the crossbar and senior forward Lily Guiliano (North Salem, N.Y.) corralled the rebound in front of the net, but her putback shot went wide left to keep the shutout intact for the visitors. The Engineers put pressure on the Lyon defense again, nearly three minutes later, when senior midfielder Madisyn Bagby (Aurora, Colo.) settled a cross at the top of the box, turned and unleashed a shot ticketed for the far left post that Wheaton junior keeper Patricia Bandrup (Poway, Calif.) was able to keep out of the net with a diving stop to her right.
Wheaton looked to be within minutes of its second shutout in as many games, but WPI cracked the scoring column to cut the deficit in half with 2:50 remaining in the contest. Sophomore back Jess English (Ledyard, Conn.) booted a long serve from just in front of midfield that managed to slip behind the Lyon defense to Fadden, who flicked a shot off the back of her foot inside the right post for her second tally of the year.
Bandrup made seven saves for Wheaton, while graduate student goalie Lili Hellerman (Ashland, Mass.) turned away three shots for the Engineers.
The Lyons return to the pitch on Saturday, October 19 when they travel to South Hadley, Mass. for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff with NEWMAC rival Mount Holyoke College, while WPI heads to New London, Conn. to take on United States Coast Guard Academy on the same day at Noon for a conference tilt as well.
