NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's soccer team was defeated by visiting Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2-1, this afternoon in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Mirrione Stadium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons slip to 5-4-0 overall and 1-2-0 in the NEWMAC, while the Engineers improve to 7-2-2 and 2-0-1.
WPI owned a 23-15 shot advantage, including 13-6 in the second half. Wheaton held a 6-4 margin in corner kicks.
All three goals in the game came in the second half.
The Engineers netted the first two markers of the match in the opening 15 minutes of the second stanza.
WPI cracked the scoring column just 4:44 into the second half to take a 1-0 edge. Junior forward Katie Adiletta (Bolton, Mass.) sent a cross into the box, where junior forward Maeve Steckley (Rochester, N.Y.) fired a right-footed shot into the upper right corner of the frame that hit just under the cross bar and straight down over the goal line to give the visitors a one-goal margin with 40:16 to go in the match.
The Engineers added to their lead, less than 10 minutes later, to take a 2-0 lead. Junior midfielder Delaney Mohl (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) carried the ball down the right side, before sending a lead cross ahead to sophomore forward Abigail Johnson (Middletown, Conn.). Johnson uncorked a shot from the right side, inside the box, that found the back of the net for her fifth marker of the year in the 60th minute of play.
WPI's bid for a shutout was dashed in the 82nd minute of play when the Lyons converted a penalty kick for their only goal of the afternoon. Junior back Maya Thomas (Goffstown, N.H.) carried the ball into the box on the right side, before firing a shot that caught the hand of an Engineer defender to draw a penalty kick for Wheaton. Senior forward Ali Roche (Maynard, Mass.) deposited her attempt just inside the left post, to catch the WPI keeper flat-footed, for her fifth goal of the season for the home team with 8:55 left to play in the contest.
Sophomore goalie Ayla Verheul (Naarden, Netherlands) turned away five shots for the Engineers, while senior keeper Patricia Bandrup (Poway, Calif.) made 11 saves for the Lyons.
Wheaton returns to the pitch when it hosts league rival Mount Holyoke College on Saturday, October 4 at 1:00 p.m. at Mirrione Stadium, while WPI plays again on the same day when it hosts Babson College in NEWMAC play for a 11:00 a.m. kickoff.
