NORTON, Mass. – Senior forward Ali Roche (Maynard, Mass.) tallied a career-high five points, including a pair of goals, to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's soccer team over visiting Springfield College, 5-2, this afternoon in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Mirrione Stadium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.

The Lyons improve to 7-5 overall and 3-3 in the league, while the Pride drop to 4-8 and 3-3. The win was the first for Wheaton over Springfield since a 2-1 triumph on October 24, 2017 and the largest margin of victory over the Pride since a 3-0 win on September 24, 2005.

Wheaton scored four of its goals in the opening half, including three in a span of 12:22. The teams were even in shots in the first half with eight apiece, before Springfield owned a healthy 19-7 advantage in the second half, but were unable to break through for a goal until the 83rd minute of play. The Pride held a 4-2 margin in corner kicks as well.

Junior Maya Thomas (Goffstown, N.H.), senior forward Kate Wickenheisser (Oxford, Conn.) and sophomore midfielder Emma-Jane Parsons (Oakland, Maine) all scored to join Roche in the game's scoring for the Lyons. Senior midfielder Julia Sternat (Ellington, Conn.) added a pair of assists. Senior keeper Patricia Bandrup (Poway, Calif.) turned away all six shots she faced in 80:36 of play, before yielding to first year Olivia King (Simsbury, Conn.), who stopped one of three shots in the final 9:24 of action.

Senior forward Meredith Healy (Niantic, Conn.) and first year forward Jessica Perry (Middleboro, Mass.) each scored for Springfield. Sophomore goalie Mairead Marsden (Amsterdam, N.Y.) turned back three of eight shots that she faced for the visitors.

Wheaton wasted no time, getting on the board 63 seconds into the contest for a 1-0 edge. First year midfielder Kate Rafferty (Westerly, R.I.) served a free kick into the box less than a minute into the match, before the ball deflected off a Pride defender and back to Roche. The senior fired a shot that tucked just inside the left post to give the Lyons the lead a just over a minute into the game. Roche's second marker came just over eight minutes later to give the home team a 2-0 lead in the 10th minute of play. Senior back Mia Wolfgang (Holliston, Mass.) intercepted the ball on Springfield half of the field, before sending a thru-ball into the Pride's defensive zone. Roche dribbled the ball into the box, eluded two defenders and unleashed a left-footed strike into the left side of the net for her team-leading eighth goal of the season with 35:40 to play in the half. 

Wheaton increased its cushion to three, just over four minutes later. Sternat sent a ball from midfield to Roche, who sent a thru-ball to Thomas at the top right corner of the box. The junior lined a shot that hit just under the cross bar and into the back of the net for her second tally of the year and a 3-0 Lyon margin. 

Wheaton's fourth goal came with just 82 seconds remaining in the first half on another free kick to take a comfortable 4-0 lead. Rafferty lofted a ball into the goalmouth, where Wickenheisser got a head on the serve to send it into the back of the net for her sixth goal of the season.

The Lyons added their fifth straight score in the 61st minute when Parsons netted her first marker of the season. Sternat sent a perfect lead cross to Parsons, who collected the ball on the left side and lifted a shot that landed up in the upper-right corner and out of the reach of the Springfield keeper with 29:47 remaining in the contest. 

The Pride got a pair of goals back within a five-minute span to cut the deficit to 5-2 with 2:11 to play in the contest. Healy carried the ball into the box on the right side, before lifting a shot into the far left corner for her fifth goal of the season and the visitors' first of the afternoon with 7:05 showing on the second half clock. Senior midfielder Kaitlyn Suller (Oviedo, Fla.) dribbled the ball off a breakaway into the left side of the box, before sending a centering cross to Perry in the middle of the box. The rookie ripped a shot that ricocheted off the right post and over the goal line for her first collegiate score to make it a three-goal game with just over two minutes to play.

Wheaton returns to the pitch on Saturday, October 18 when it hosts NEWMAC rival Smith College at Mirrione Stadium at 1:00 p.m. on Senior Day, while Springfield hosts Worcester Polytechnic Institute on the same day and the same time in conference play.