SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) field hockey team came back to tie the score twice in the fourth quarter, but ultimately fell after two overtime periods on strokes as host Springfield College came away with a 4-3 victory this afternoon in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play on Stagg Field in Springfield, Mass.
The Lyons dip to 9-6 overall and 4-4 in league play, while the Pride improve to 9-7 and 3-5.
Springfield held a healthy 24-11 shot advantage, including 17-7 in shots on cage. The home team owned an 8-7 penalty corner edge as well.
Sophomore forward Gia Marotta (Lynnfield, Mass.), first year Sadie Tranter (Simsbury, Conn.) and senior Kayla Wilonski (Wallingford, Conn.) each scored a goal for Wheaton. Senior goalie Grace Ferguson (Williston, Vt.) kept the Lyons in the game with 14 saves on the day.
The Pride received a marker each from senior forward Ava Coppola (Southing, Conn.), first year forward Lily Bialack (Bridgewater, Conn.) and sophomore midfielder Clare Moore (New Preston, Conn.). Sophomore keeper Sam Orcutt (Forestdale, Mass.) registered four saves.
Following two scoreless overtime periods, neither team was able to convert a stroke in the first round of the shootout session. Bialack went around the Lyon keeper and scored on the right side to give Springfield a 1-0 edge. Wheaton was unable to convert in the next two rounds, before senior midfielder Samara Skully (East Rochester, N.Y.) was also able to score from the right side of the Wheaton goalie to secure the shootout and the final margin for the Pride.
The Lyons faced a 3-2 deficit, late in the fourth quarter, before Wilonski tallied her team-leading 11th goal of the year off a penalty corner to pull the Blue and White even. Santer sent the insert pass to Wilonski at the top of the arc, before she took the ball around the right side and wound up for a rocket that found the far left corner with 4:20 to play in regulation.
Ferguson made three saves in the second overtime for Wheaton, while Orcutt stopped a pair of shots for the Pride to send the contest to strokes.
The Lyons cracked the scoring column first, following a scoreless first period, with a marker just 1:56 into the second quarter. Senior midfielder Ally Slicer (Waterford, Maine) sent the ball into Springfield's defensive zone, before Marotta collected it and sent a shot through the wickets of the Pride goalie for her ninth goal of the season and a 1-0 Wheaton lead.
Springfield tallied the next two goals to take a 2-1 edge. The Pride responded less than six minutes later off a corner to knot the score at 1-1. Sophomore defender Maddie O'Brien (Franklin, Mass.) sent the insert pass to senior defender Amber Wolkner (Farmington, Conn.) at the top of the arc, before she sent a cross to her left to Moore. Moore lifted a sweeping shot over the shoulder of the Wheaton keeper for her fourth goal of the season with 7:54 to go in the first half. The Pride took the lead with 7:50 left in the third quarter. Coppola carried the ball down the right side, before sending a slow shot toward the cage that found its way under the foot of the Lyons' keeper and into the back of the cage for her seventh goal of the season.
Wheaton scored early in the fourth quarter to tie the match at 2-2. Sophomore defender Carys Mitchell (Holderness, N.H.) sent the ball into the goalmouth off a penalty corner, where Tranter stopped the ball and flicked a shot inside the right post for her second tally of the year just 2:23 into the final quarter of regulation.
Springfield reclaimed the lead just over four minutes later for a 3-2 edge. Sophomore forward Rachel Simkewicz (Westminster, Mass.) fired a shot into the mix, before it found the stick of Bialack for a shot that skipped over the Lyon goalie to give the Pride a 3-2 margin with 8:34 showing on the fourth quarter clock.
The Lyons return to action on Tuesday, October 27 when they host University of New England at 4:00 p.m. on Nordin Field in Norton, Mass., while Springfield hosts Dean College on October 29 at 4:00 p.m.
