NORTON, Mass. — Junior forward Hannah Fortin (South Dartmouth, Mass.) tallied a pair of goals to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) field hockey team over visiting Bridgewater State University, 4-1, this evening on a rain-soaked Nordin Field on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 8-9 on the season, while the Bears slip to 14-4.
Wheaton dominated possession on the field with a 20-5 shot advantage, including 16-3 in shots on the cage. The Lyons held a 9-7 margin in penalty corners.
Fortin scored the first and third Wheaton markers to register her first career multi-goal effort. Sophomore midfielder Kayla Wilonski (Wallingford, Conn.) and first year midfielder Gia Marotta (Lynnfield, Mass.) added to the home team's scoring effort with a goal apiece. First year keeper Molly Braica (New Boston, N.H.) turned away one of two shots in the first 50:12 of action, before yielding to sophomore Elise LeBlanc (Hampstead, N.H.), who was untested in the final 9:48 of play.
Sophomore forward Samantha Souza (Dartmouth, Mass.) scored the only goal for Bridgewater State to give her 32 for the season and tie BSU Hall of Famer Shelby Farland's single-season school standard set, in 2012. Senior starting goalie Catherine Daoulas (Marshfield, Mass.) stopped seven of nine shots in the first quarter, before giving way to classmate Brianna Gagnon (Tewksbury, Mass.), who denied five of seven shots in the final three quarters of play.
The Lyons attempted all 10 first quarter shots, including a pair of goals in a span of 1:54 in the final three minutes of the opening period. Marotta fired the initial shot that was stopped by Daoulas in front of the cage, but Fortin was there to collect the loose ball off the stop and deposit the ball into the left corner of the cage with 4:11 remaining in the quarter. Wheaton doubled its lead less than two minutes later to take a 2-0 margin. Sophomore Kelsey Thompson (North Attleboro, Mass.) sent a short cross to Wilonski, who entered the arc, spun around with the ball and unleashed a shot just inside the right post and out of the diving reach of Daoulas with 2:17 to go in the period.
The Bears held the Lyons to just one shot in the second quarter, while attempting two of their own, including their only marker with 8:01 showing on the clock. The goal came after a penalty corner, but it looked like the chance would be snuffed out after senior defender Abby Miller (Andover, Mass.) registered a defensive save, but Bridgewater State regained possession. First year forward Ellie Moberg (North Reading, Mass.) sent a centering cross that eluded the Wheaton defenders in front of the cage. Souza was able to get her stick on the ball as she fell forward and sent the ball into the back of the cage to cut the deficit in half at 2-1.
The Lyons seized the momentum early in the fourth quarter, following a scoreless third period. Junior forward Ally Slicer (Waterford, Maine) lifted a shot into the chest of Gagnon, but Fortin was there for the rebound. She pulled the ball from the left to her right for a shot that she slung into the far left corner for her seventh goal of the season just 2:50 into the final quarter of play.
Wheaton added another insurance goal, less than three minutes later following a penalty corner when Marotta found the back of the cage for her third score of the year. Thompson fired a shot from just inside the top of the arc that Marotta redirected from in front of the cage and past the BSU goalie for a 4-1 Lyon lead with 9:17 remaining in the contest.
Wheaton concludes its regular season on Saturday, November 1 when it travels to Babson Park, Mass. to take on New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference foe No. 3 Babson College at 12:00 p.m., while the Bears head to Worcester, Mass. to play Worcester State University at 5:00 p.m.
