NORTON, Mass. – Sophomore forward Gia Marotta (Lynnfield, Mass.) potted a pair of goals to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) field hockey team over visiting Salve Regina University, 5-2, this evening in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Nordin Field on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons have won five of their last six and improve to 9-6 overall and 4-3 in league play, while the Seahawks fall to 8-7 and 2-5.
Wheaton opened the match with five of the six shots in the first quarter and owned a 21-19 margin for the match. Both teams were awarded six penalty corners.
For Marotta, it was her third multi-goal effort of the season. The Lyons also received a goal each from sophomore midfielder Sophie Kaczmarek (Gorham, Maine), junior Ava Audette (Essex Junction, Vt.) and senior Hannah Fortin (South Dartmouth, Mass.). Junior forward Kayla Wilonski (Wallingford, Conn.) notched a pair of assists to give her 28 points for the ninth-highest single-season total in school history. Senior starting goalie Grace Ferguson (Williston, Vt.) stopped seven of nine shots in the first three quarters, before yielding to junior Elise LeBlanc (Hampstead, N.H.), who turned away both shots she faced in the final quarter.
First year forward Nikki Schuster (Walpole, Mass.) and senior midfielder Jordyn Pineau (South Dennis, Mass.) each tallied a marker for Salve Regina. Sophomore keeper Siany Ortez (Attleboro, Mass.) made nine saves for the visitors.
Wheaton scored the first three goals of the game in the first half and never trailed in the contest.
Marotta was in the right place at the right time for the Lyons' first tally. Wilonski wound up for a shot from just inside the arc and Marotta re-directed the strike into the back of the cage with 6:04 to go in the period.
Wheaton scored 5:05 into the second quarter to double its lead at 2-0. Senior midfielder Ally Slicer (Waterford, Maine) flipped a backhanded shot off the pad of the Seahawk keeper, before Fortin collected the rebound and flicked a shot over the left shoulder of the Salve Regina goalie for her 10th goal of the season. The marker gives her goals in five consecutive games for the longest such streak since Sophie Shekarchi '23 potted goals in five straight from September 7-18.
The visitors looked to cut the difference in half, but Schuster's rebound shot was denied by defensive save by senior defender Maddie LaBreck (Rollinsford, N.H.) with less than three minutes left in the second period.
The Lyons started to pull away with their third goal coming with just 17 ticks remaining on the second quarter clock. Wilonski weaved around a few defenders, before sending the ball to the front of the cage, where Audette finished with her second goal of the year and a 3-0 margin for the home team.
The Seahawks broke into the scoring column just 92 seconds into the third quarter off a penalty corner to cut the deficit to 3-1. Senior defender Grace Warnick (Clark, N.J.) sent the insert pass to Pineau, who stopped the entry at the edge of the arc and uncorked a low, hard shot that found the back of the left side of the cage for her fourth goal of the season.
Wheaton got the goal back with 5:45 remaining in the quarter with the conversion of a penalty stroke. Kaczmarek lifted a shot past the Salve Regina keeper on the left side for her first collegiate goal and a 4-1 Lyon lead.
The Seahawks scored just as the period was winding down to pull within 4-2 at the end of the third period. First year forward Deirdre McKiernan (Glastonbury, Conn.) fired the initial shot inside the arc, before Schuster dug the ball out from under the Wheaton keeper and snuck a shot into the empty cage for her second tally of the year with just 14 seconds left.
The fourth quarter looked like it would end without a goal before the Lyons scored with just 4.8 seconds left in the game to cap the 5-2 victory. Fortin sent a backhanded cross along the right side to Marotta, who took a shot in tight, before collecting her own rebound and put the ball in the back of the cage for her eighth marker of the season.
Wheaton returns to action on Saturday, October 24 when it travels to Springfield, Mass. to take on NEWMAC rival Springfield College at 12:00 p.m., while Salve Regina hosts No. 17 Babson College on the same day at the same time.
