NORTON, Mass. -- Five different players scored in the second half to fuel a 5-0 victory for the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's soccer team over visiting Worcester State University this afternoon on Mirrione Stadium in Norton, Mass. on the campus of Wheaton.
The Lyons improve to 2-0 for their best start since Wheaton won its first five contests to begin the 2018 campaign. The Lyons have tallied nine goals in their first two matches to start the season for their highest total since they netted 12 markers in the first two matches of the 2007 season. The Lancers fall to 0-1 in their season opener.
Wheaton dominated play, especially the second half, owning a 15-2 shot advantage in the second stanza as part of a 24-4 margin for the afternoon. The Lyons were awarded all five corner kicks in the game as well.
Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the opening half after Wheaton took a 9-2 shooting differential into the intermission.
Senior forward Lily Brown (Warwick, R.I.), junior midfielder Julia Sternat (Ellington, Conn.) and sophomore forward Mackenna Reynolds (Longmeadow, Mass.) all collected three points on the day with a goal and an assist each.
The Lyons first two scores came in a span of 100 seconds early in the second half to give them a 2-0 lead.
Wheaton got on the board just 2:45 into the new half to take a 1-0 edge. Junior forward Katie Wickenheisser (Oxford, Conn.) sent a cross through the box, where Reynolds met the ball on the right side, before firing a shot into the right corner of the net for her first goal of the season.
Sternat doubled the Lyons' lead after being taken down in the box and converted a penalty kick into the upper right corner in the 50th minute of play for a 2-0 advantage.
Wheaton later put the game out of reach with a trio of goals in a span of 9:13 to increase the home team's advantage to 5-0 with just over 20 minutes to play in the contest.
Sternat lifted a cross to Brown on the left post, where she took the ball off her chest, settled it in front of the net, before depositing a scoring strike into the right side of the net in the 61st minute of play for the Lyons. Brown also took on the play making role just over five minutes later when she found classmate Natalie Coughlin (Philadelphia, Pa.) for Wheaton's fourth goal of the day. Brown sent a lead cross into the box for Coughlin, who received the ball and fired a shot inside the right post for her first goal of the season with 24:18 remaining in the game. The Lyons capped the scoring when Reynolds lifted a cross from the right side to the edge of the goalie box, where first year midfielder Emma-Jane Parsons (Oakland, Maine) corralled the ball out of the air and flipped it into the back of the net for her first collegiate goal in the 70th minute.
Senior forward Maddie Breuer (Hubbardston, Mass.) and sophomore forward Ava Lemanski (Clinton, Mass.) both put shots on net for Worcester State, but each strike did not pose a serious threat.
Junior keeper Patricia Bandrup (Poway, Calif.) stopped both shots that she faced to record her third career shutout for Wheaton, while sophomore goalie Ella Gumienny (Douglas, Mass.) made nine saves for the Lancers.
The Lyons return to play on Saturday, September 7 when they host Keene State College on Saturday, September 7 at 1:00 p.m. at Mirrione Stadium, while Worcester State heads to Boston, Mass. to take on Suffolk University on the same day at 12:00 p.m.
