NORTON, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) field hockey team was edged, 2-1, by visiting University of Southern Maine this afternoon at Nordin Field on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons dip to 3-2 on the season, while the Huskies improve to 3-3.
Wheaton held a slight 17-16 shot advantage, including a 5-1 shot margin during the third quarter. The Lyons also outnumbered their opponents 13-7 in penalty corners, including a 10-3 margin during the second half.
Southern Maine broke into the scoring column, following 22-plus minutes of scoreless play from either team. First year forward Maddie Niles (Benton, Maine) connected on a long cross from the left sideline to junior forward HJ Tuplin (Lisbon, Maine), who received the pass in the middle of the shooting circle. Tuplin then rushed back towards the top of the shooting circle and fired a shot which drifted past the Wheaton goalkeeper to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead with 8:05 remaining in the second period.
The Huskies responded again just 2:03 later in the second quarter for its second tally of the match. Southern Maine took advantage of a penalty corner when first year forward Mackenzie Hall (Westbrook, Maine) received a cross in the middle of the shooting circle. Hall then put a shot on target, which was stopped by Lyon senior defender Abby Miller (Andover, Mass.) for a defensive save. Miller tried to clear the ball away from Wheaton's goalie area, but was unable to do so when a trio of Huskies swarmed inches away from the goal line. Junior goalkeeper Grace Ferguson (Williston, Vt.) tried to cover up the ball with her hand protector for the Lyons, but Niles dislodged the ball and junior forward Dylan Barr (Phippsburg, Maine) finished with a tip-in goal to give Southern Maine a 2-0 advantage with 6:03 in the second period.
After being out-shot 8-0 during the first 9:05 of the second quarter, Wheaton flipped the possession arrow in their favor by tallying the final seven shot attempts before halftime, including five shot attempts within a 44-second span. However, the Lyons could not muster a goal before intermission.
During the third quarter, Wheaton was able to respond with a goal when junior forward Hannah Fortin (South Dartmouth, Mass.) sent a pass from the top of the shooting circle to senior forward Riley Levrault (Lakeville, Mass.) towards the left-center side of the circle. Levrault then trailed the ball towards her left and ripped in a turnaround shot past the Huskies goalkeeper to give Wheaton its first tally with 3:17 remaining in the third quarter.
The Lyons looked to keep their momentum going during the fourth quarter, but were stopped twice during the final 90 seconds. Wheaton's first best scoring opportunity of the fourth period came when Fortin sent a pass towards her left to first year midfielder Gia Marotta (Lynnfield, Mass.), who was denied on a shot attempt inside the circle. The Lyons had one last chance to force overtime with four seconds remaining off a penalty corner, but first year forward Katie Sirois (Greene, Maine) was denied from point-blank range by USM senior goalie Eleanor Folsom (Eleanor Folsom (Winthrop, Maine) as time expired.
Folsom was outstanding in the cage for Southern Maine, recording 10 saves, while Ferguson finished the match stopping a season-high seven shots for Wheaton.
Wheaton returns to action on September 16 when it travels to Beverly, Mass. to take on Endicott College at 7:00 p.m., while the Huskies return to play when they host Husson University on September 20 at 1:00 p.m.
