NORTON, Mass. — Sophomore goalie Grace Ferguson (Williston, Vt.) stopped all four shots she faced to record a shutout to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) field hockey team over visiting Mount Holyoke College, 2-0, this afternoon in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference play at Nordin Field on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 8-8 overall and 2-6 in league play, while MHC falls to 7-10 and 0-8.
Wheaton scored single goals in the second and fourth quarters and owned a 25-13 shooting advantage, including 17-6 in shots on the cage. The teams combined for 27 penalty corners with the Lyons doubling up on Mount Holyoke with a season-high total of 18 compared to their guests' tally of nine.
Junior forward Riley Levrault (Lakeville, Mass.) and sophomore midfielder Ally Slicer (Waterford, Maine) each scored goals for Wheaton. Ferguson posted her fourth blank sheet of the season.
The Lyons got on the board with 4:43 left in the second quarter to take a 1-0 edge. First year midfielder Kelsey Thompson (North Attleboro, Mass.) slipped a centering cross from the right side of the goal mouth to Levrault, who was credited with the goal after it was boxed around by a MHC defender. The marker was her team-leading seventh of the year.
Wheaton added an insurance goal late in the fourth quarter when it was awarded a penalty stroke following a penalty on Mount Holyoke in the goalmouth with 3:41 remaining in the contest. Slicer converted the shot for her third goal of the season and a 2-0 lead.
MHC's best opportunities came on penalty corner situations. First year forward MJ Owens (Fairfield, Conn.) had a pair of shots from five yards out from the front of the cage. Her first attempt came with 3:43 left in the second quarter when she fired a point-blank shot that Ferguson initially stopped, but the ball continued on behind her, but junior defender Abby Miller (Andover, Mass.) was there to clear the ball away. Ferguson came off her line less than three minutes into the fourth quarter, before Owens uncorked a shot that the Wheaton keeper was able to turn away. Ferguson came up big again just 37 seconds later during a Mount Holyoke corner when senior forward Jayonna Montigny (Enfield, Conn.) fired a shot from the left side, inside the arc that the Wheaton keeper stopped and was able to control, while falling backward in the goalmouth.
MHC's defense on the penalty corner was outstanding, holding the home Lyons without a goal, despite 18 opportunities. Senior goalie Rachel Katzenberg (Reistertown, Md.) finished the match with 15 saves for Mount Holyoke.
Slicer registered a game-high six shots for Wheaton, while MHC was led by sophomore forward Diane Lee (Boston, Mass.) with four shots.
The Lyons return to action on Tuesday, October 29 when they travel to nearby Bridgewater, Mass. to take on Bridgewater State University at 7:00 p.m., while Mount Holyoke hosts Rivier University on the same day at 6:00 p.m.
