BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Junior forward Riley Levrault (Lakeville, Mass.) factored into three goals to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) field hockey team over host Bridgewater State University, 4-2, this evening at Mazzaferro Field in Bridgewater, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 9-8 on the season to match their highest win total since 2015, while the Bears fall to 7-9.
Wheaton held a 12-9 shot advantage and a 7-3 margin in penalty corners.
Levrault tallied a pair of goals and added an assist for a career-high five points for the Lyons and now has nine goals on the season for the most by a Lyon since Michelle Connolly '19 tallied 12 scores in 2018. Senior forward Delia Knox (Cumberland, Maine) and first year midfielder Kayla Wilonski (Wallingford, Conn.) each added a goal for Wheaton, while first year midfielder Kelsey Thompson (North Attleboro, Mass.) notched a pair of assists. Wilonski and Thompson each have three assists for the year to give them the most helpers, respectively, by a rookie since Hannah Arkin '21 recorded three in 2017.
Junior forward Raegan Perry (Nantucket, Mass.) and first year forward Samantha Souza (Dartmouth, Mass.) each scored a goal for Bridgewater State.
The Lyons snapped a 1-1 tie with 1:33 left in the opening quarter with a goal coming on a penalty corner to make it 2-1. Knox took the insert pass well beyond the arc from Levrault, before sending a cross inside the arc to Thompson. Thompson directed a shot on goal, that Wilonski redirected into the back of the cage for her fourth marker of the season.
Wheaton increased its margin to 3-1 after scoring with 5:20 remaining in the third quarter. Levrault sent a short centering cross to the front of the goalmouth, where Knox was there to flick the ball into the cage for her seventh goal of the year.
The Bears wasted no time to respond, matching the marker just 25 seconds later to keep it a one-goal game at 3-2 with 4:55 to play in the period. Bridgewater State carried the ball right down the field, where first year forward Kallie Rose (Dartmouth, Mass.) sent a short cross in front of the goal to Souza, who was able to spin round and snap a shot into the back of the cage for her ninth goal of the season.
Levrault capped the scoring with an important insurance goal on another penalty corner with just 52 ticks left in the match to give the visitors a 4-2 advantage. The junior forward was able to convert a rebound off a Thompson shot into her second goal of the night to give the Lyons a two-goal lead.
The teams traded initial goals within a span of 2:36 in the middle of the opening quarter to knot the contest at 1-1.
Levrault dribbled the ball away from a defender in the middle of the arc, before winding her stick for a hard shot that zipped by the keeper for the first goal of the night. Wheaton took a 1-0 lead with 5:15 showing on the first quarter clock.
The Bears answered just 2:36 later when sophomore midfielder Abbie Zuber (Westport, Mass.) weaved through the Lyon defense and into the arc, before ripping a shot from the right side that Perry was able to turn the rebound into her fourth marker of the year.
Sophomore keeper Grace Ferguson (Williston, Vt.) stopped five shots for Wheaton, while junior goalie Brianna Gagnon (Tewksbury, Mass.) made seven saves for Bridgewater State.
The Lyons return to play on Saturday, November 2 when they host Smith College in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play on Nordin Field for Senior Day at 12:00 p.m., while the Bears host Westfield State University tomorrow at 7:00 p.m.
