NORTON, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's soccer team received three goals from three different players in a 3-0 victory this afternoon over visiting Bridgewater State University at Mirrione Stadium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 3-1 on the season with their third shutout of the year. Wheaton's three shutouts in its first four games to start the season mark the first time it has done that since the 2015 campaign when the Lyons began the season with a 4-0 record, including three blank sheets.
The Bears dip to 1-2 on the year.
Wheaton dominated possession for the majority of the match and out-shot its guests, 35-12, for its highest shot total since October 9, 2021 when the Lyons attempted 37 shots against Mount Holyoke College. Wheaton was awarded six corner kicks, while Bridgewater State registered one.
For the second straight game, Wheaton senior forward Ali Roche (Maynard, Mass.) tallied three points with a goal and an assist, while senior forward Kate Wickenheisser (Oxford, Conn.) and first year forward Karina Contreras (Pawtucket, R.I.) each netted a goal for the home team. Senior Julia Sternat (Ellington, Conn.) added an assist.
Senior keeper Patricia Bandrup (Poway, Calif.) stopped all seven shots she faced in 80:24 of play for the Lyons, before yielding to first year goalie Olivia King (Simsbury, Conn.), who was untested in the final 9:36 of action.
Junior midfielder Caroline McCormack (East Bridgewater, Mass.) and junior midfielder Kacey Parker (Attleboro, Mass.) each paced the Bears' offense with a pair of shots. Senior netminder Logan Levesque (Bristol, R.I.) was very active for the visitors, making 18 saves on the day.
Wheaton got on the board in the 17th minute of play after peppering the Bridgewater State frame for the first 15 minutes of the contest. Sternat sent a centering cross to Wickenheisser, who put the feed into the back of the net from right in front of the Bears' keeper for a 1-0 edge.
Bridgewater State held the Lyons scoreless for the next 47-plus minutes of play, while the offense maintained possession for the first 13 minutes of the second half. The Bears attempted five shots during that stretch.
The Lyons came alive in with a pair of insurance goals in a span of 34 seconds to build a 3-0 cushion midway through the second stanza. Wheaton doubled its lead when Roche controlled the ball over midfield and into the Bears' defensive zone, before sending a lead cross to Contreras. The first year outran the Bridgewater defense and took the ball into the goalmouth, before slipping a shot into the right side of the net for her third marker of the year in the 64th minute. Just 34 seconds later, Roche was able to pick the pocket of a Bears' defender and carry the ball into the box on a breakaway, before ripping a shot into the right corner for her second goal of the season.
Wheaton returns to the pitch on Wednesday, September 17 when it hosts Roger Williams University at Mirrione Stadium for a 4:00 p.m. kickoff, while Bridgewater State heads to Buzzards Bay, Mass. to take on Massachusetts Maritime Academy on September 12 at 7:00 p.m.
