WORCESTER, Mass. – Senior forward Ali Roche (Maynard, Mass.) scored the game's only goal and senior keeper Patricia Bandrup (Poway, Calif.) stopped all eight shots she faced to lift the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's soccer team over host Clark University, 1-0, this afternoon in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play on Granger Field in Worcester, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 5-3-0 overall and 1-1-0 in league play, while the Cougars fall to 3-2-3 and 0-1-1.
Clark outshot Wheaton, 20-9, including 8-2 in the opening half, although the shots on net were much closer at 9-4 with the home team still holding the advantage. The Lyons were awarded six corner kicks to the Cougars' tally of four.
Wheaton tallied the only marker of the match in the 60th minute to take a 1-0 lead. Junior back Maya Thomas (Goffstown, N.H.) carried the ball down the right side with a Clark defender draped all over her, but managed to send a centering cross to the box. Roche came up to meet the ball, before making a move to her left and firing a shot into the far left post for her fourth goal of the season with 30:19 left to play in the contest.
Bandrup and the Lyons' defense did the rest with Bandrup making three of her eight saves in the final 30 minutes of play to post her second shutout of the season and 11th of her career.
The Cougars' best chance to tie the match came off a corner kick in the 75th minute when senior back Cassidy Hubbard (Kalaheo, Hawaii) directed a header down and ticketed for the left side of the net, but Wheaton first year defender Kaydie O'Neil (Sturbridge, Mass.) was camped on the goal line to keep the would-be goal out of the net and keep the clean sheet intact for Wheaton.
Sophomore forward Georgia Louis (West Hartford, Conn.) led all players with a match-high seven shots to pace Clark's offensive effort.
Junior starting keeper Gabrielle Huryn (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) was untested in the first half for the Cougars, before yielding to junior goalie Ava Lepro (Guilford, Conn.), who turned away three of four shots that she faced in the final 45 minutes of action.
The Lyons return to action on Wednesday, October 1 when they host NEWMAC foe Worcester Polytechnic Institute at Mirrione Stadium for a 4:00 p.m. kickoff, while Clark hosts Fitchburg State University on the same day at 7:00 p.m.
