NORTON, Mass. -- Junior forward Kate Wickenheisser (Oxford, Conn.) scored with less than five minutes to play to give the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's soccer team a 2-1 victory over visiting Salve Regina University this afternoon in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Mirrione Stadium in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 7-4-5 overall, including 3-2-3 in league play and are unbeaten in their last four contests, while the Seahawks fall to 2-11-3 and 1-4-3.
The teams were even with 14 shots apiece with Wheaton owning an 8-3 margin in the opening half and Salve Regina holding an 11-6 advantage in the second half. The Lyons held a 3-2 edge in corner kicks.
Junior forward Ali Roche (Maynard, Mass.) also scored for Wheaton, while junior forward Marissa Perachi (Washington Depot, Conn.) tallied the lone marker for the Seahawks.
Wickenheisser netted the eventual game-winner for the Lyons on a corner kick with a set-piece. Junior forward Julia Sternat (Ellington, Conn.) served the ball from the right corner into the goalmouth, where Wickenheisser leapt into the air and re-directed the ball into the back of the net with a header with 4:56 showing on the second half clock. Wickenheisser has two scores on the year – one a game-tying strike and the other a game-winning tally.
Wheaton opened the scoring just under 26 minutes into the match when Roche weaved just above the penalty area, before uncorking a left-footed shot that rose just inside the near right post to give the home team a 1-0 edge in the 26th minute of play. The goal was her team-leading fifth of the season.
Salve Regina's Perachi answered Roche's effort with a similar strike in the 54th minute of play. The forward carried the ball just above the box on the right side, before lifting a shot over the Lyon keeper and into the back of the net to knot the score at 1-1 with her second marker of the year.
Junior keeper Patricia Bandrup (Poway, Calif.) stopped eight shots for Wheaton, while junior goalie Reagan Moffatt (Denville, N.J.) made five saves for the Seahawks.
The Lyons return to the pitch on Saturday, October 26 when they travel to Northampton, Mass. to take on NEWMAC foe Smith College at 12:00 p.m., while Salve Regina heads to Babson Park on the same day to play league foe Babson College at 1:00 p.m.
