BRIDGEWATER, Mass. — Junior goalie Patricia Bandrup (Poway, Calif.) registered her third shutout of the season to preserve a 0-0 tie with host Bridgewater State University this evening at Peter Mazzaferro Field in Bridgewater, Mass.
The Lyons run their unbeaten streak to five straight and are now 4-0-1 on the season, while the Bears stand at 1-1-1.
Wheaton owned a 14-10 shot advantage, including a commanding 9-4 margin in the second half. Bridgewater State was awarded two more corner kicks than the Lyons with a 5-3 count.
Bandrup recorded six saves in the contest to post her fifth career blank sheet, while junior keeper Logan Levesque (Bristol, R.I.) turned back eight shots to log her own shutout for the Bears.
Bridgewater State threatened to get on the board in the first minute of the contest when the Bears served a ball from the backfield that was headed back by a Wheaton defender, but the ball was picked up by junior forward Olivia Robarge (Pepperell, Mass.) just 10 yards out from the goal. Robarge dribbled four yards closer on the left side, before uncorking a shot that Bandrup denied with a diving stop for Wheaton.
Bridgewater looked to take advantage of a turnover in the visitor's backfield midway through the first half, when graduate student forward Emily McCormack (East Bridgewater, Mass.) was able to knock down a clearing pass by a Wheaton defender and sent a leading cross to Robarge for another scoring opportunity. The junior carried the ball down the left side and fired a shot from six yards out that Bandrup was able to absorb into her body for the save.
The Lyons' first best opportunity to score came with 7:32 to play in the opening half when first year forward Gina Trovato (Simsbury, Conn.) collected a ball in traffic in front of the net and fired a left-footed strike from five yards away that Levesque stopped with a dive to her left for the Bears.
Lovato looked to set up another scoring chance for Wheaton midway through the second half with a centering cross to sophomore forward Mackenna Reynolds (Longmeadow, Mass.), who was camped in front of the left post. Reynolds fired a shot on frame, but caught too much of the cross bar to keep it a scoreless match with 23:35 remaining in the contest.
Robarge tried to answer just over two minutes later for the Bears, unleashing a shot within the box from the right, but Bandrup was there again for the stop for the Lyons.
Neither team was able to generate a serious threat from that point forward, resulting in a scoreless stalemate.
Wheaton returns to action on Wednesday, September 18 when it hosts Union College at Mirrione Stadium for a 4:00 p.m. match, while Bridgewater State hosts Lesley University on September 14 at 11:00 a.m.
