NORTON, Mass. – Junior back Maya Thomas (Goffstown, N.H.) tallied a goal and added an assist to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's soccer team over visiting Mount Holyoke College, 3-0, 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 6-4 overall and 2-2 in NEWMAC play, while the MHC Lyons slip to 1-4-3 and 0-3.
Wheaton dominated possession with a 34-7 shot advantage, including 18-2 in a first half that saw the home team take a 2-0 lead.
Thomas, who moved up into the offensive mix, finished with three points, while senior forwards Katie Wickenheisser (Oxford, Conn.) and Ali Roche (Maynard, Mass.) each added a score for the Lyons. Senior keeper Patricia Bandrup (Poway, Calif.) made five saves to record her 12th career shutout and third of the season.
Senior goalie Clarissa Govea (Pico Rivera, Calif.) stopped 11 shots for Mount Holyoke.
Wheaton wasted no time getting in the driver's seat, scoring less than five minutes into the match to take a 1-0 edge. Thomas sent a thru-ball to Roche on the right side. The senior carried the ball into the box and made a move to her left to elude an MHC defender, before ripping a shot into the left side of the net for her team-leading sixth marker of the season.
The Lyons' second marker came off a corner kick in the 37th minute of the contest courtesy of a double-header for a 2-0 margin. First year midfielder Kate Rafferty (Westerly, R.I.) served a ball into the box from the right corner flag to senior defender Francesca Freeman (Portland, Maine), who re-directed the ball in the air with a header to Wickenheisser, who was camped in front of the net. The senior teammate whipped her head into the ball to push it past the visitors' keeper and into the back of the net for her fifth marker of the year with 8:06 remaining in the contest.
Thomas tallied her first goal of the season with just 6:11 left in the match to give Wheaton an insurance goal. First year back Kaydie O'Neil (Sturbridge, Mass.) set up Thomas by lifting a soft cross into the box, where Thomas ran into it, before sending it over the goal line for her third career marker.
Mount Holyoke attempted five shots on net for the game, but none of them posed a serious threat to Bandrup.
The Lyons return to the pitch on Saturday, October 11 when they head to Wellesley, Mass. to play NEWMAC foe Wellesley College at 1:00 p.m., while the MHC Lyons travel to nearby Northampton, Mass. to play conference rival Smith College on October 8 at 4:00 p.m.
