NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) field hockey team scored two unanswered goals and first year keeper Molly Braica (New Boston, N.H.) stopped 11 shots in her first collegiate start in a 2-1 victory over visiting Wellesley College this afternoon in a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference contest at Nordin Field on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 4-4 overall and 1-1 in league play. The win was Wheaton's first against the Blue since a 4-3 victory on October 5, 2010 in Wellesley to snap a streak of 13 matches without a win. It was also the first home win for the Lyons against Wellesley since October 30, 2008. The Blue slip to 1-7 on the season, including 0-2 in NEWMAC action.
Braica was outstanding in her first collegiate start for Wheaton, and had to be, with Wellesley holding an 18-4 shot advantage, including 12-3 in shots on cage. The Blue also owned a 10-5 advantage in penalty corners. All three goals in the game were scored in the second quarter.
All four of Wheaton's shots came in the first half, including the eventual game-winning strike with just 43 seconds left in the first half. Braica was flawless in the second half, where Wellesley took all 10 shots in the stanza.
Senior defender Rebecca Berman (Avon, Conn.) played a ball into the circle from the left side, where sophomore midfielder Kayla Wilonski (Wallingford, Conn.) got her stick on it just inside the arc. Junior forward Hannah Fortin (South Dartmouth, Mass.) collected the loose ball and fired a shot from the left side into the near post for her fourth goal of the season to pull the Lyons even at 1-1 with 10:45 left in the second quarter.
Wheaton took the lead for good when Wilonski fired a shot, from five yards out, that the Blue keeper knocked down, senior forward Riley Levrault (Lakeville, Mass.) was there for the rebound in the right slot for her third goal of the season and a 2-1 lead for the Lyons.
Wellesley opened the scoring just 25 seconds into the second quarter. Sophomore defender Rachel Carson (Mays Landing, N.J.) sent a cross into the left slot, where sophomore forward Claudia Summers (San Diego, Calif.) unleashed a shot into the far right post for her second marker of the season. The tally gave the Blue a 1-0 lead.
Sophomore starting keeper Hannah Simmonds (Austin, Texas) stopped one of three shots in the first half for Wellesley, before yielding to first year goalie Katelyn Hurt (Carrollton, Texas), who was untested in the second session.
Wheaton returns to play on Tuesday, September 30 when it hosts Worcester Polytechnic Institute at 7:00 p.m. on Nordin Field, while the Blue head to Dudley, Mass. to play Nichols College on October 1 at 7:00 p.m.
