NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. - The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's lacrosse team kept the road momentum going on Saturday afternoon with a contest at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, coming away with an emphatic 18-9 win over the Corsairs. 

Wheaton improves to 2-0 on the season with the win, while the loss sees the Corsairs begin their 2026 campaign at 0-1.

First year Kaydie O'Neil (Sturbridge, Mass.) scored her first collegiate goal, then added three more scores and three assists for a seven point performance to lead the Lyons. Senior Jessica Chamberlin (Bow, N.H.) had a hat-trick of goals as well, adding two assists for a five point day. Sophomore Emma-Jane Parsons (Oakland, Maine) added two goals and an assist, joining senior Katie Hallee (Norway, Maine) and junior Georgia Qua (Suffield, Conn.) in the prestigious "scored twice club."

Wheaton found themselves down by a goal just under 90 seconds into the game. Junior Maddy Allen (Whitman, Mass.) got the scoring started with an unassisted goal in the opening phases. The Lyons were able to settle in and ward off the subsequent attack from the Corsairs. Sophomore goalkeeper Keira Bushey (Haverhill, Mass.) made two saves on the Lyons' next two shots, but the line wouldn't hold for long. O'Neil would find herself in a scoring position after Chamberlin picked up a loose ground ball. Junior Annemieke Buterbaugh (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) slid the ball over to the anticipating O'Neil, and a quick shot buried the goal to tie the game. 

Allen struck again halfway through the quarter, giving her side a 2-1 lead. Two minutes later, Lucy Knof (Cologne, Germany) found the back of the net off of an Alexis Antonellis (Lyme, Colo.) feed. Bushey denied two more bids for a goal from Wheaton before the quarter closed, keeping the game knotted at 2-2 after the first frame. 

It took only seven seconds for the second quarter to bear delicious fruit for the Lyons, as Chamberlin buried her first goal of the game virtually right off the draw. Parsons picked up the assist as the Lyons took their first lead of the afternoon. Allen waited two minutes, then completed her hat-trick bid to tie the game once again at 3 goals apiece. 

14 seconds later, Hallee put her team in front once more as she scored unassisted off of the draw. Junior Jenna Langan (Lincoln, R.I.) made a save soon after to preserve her side's lead, and Chamberlin converted the effort into a goal for a 5-3 lead. After a sustained presence in the Wheaton zone, the Lyons managed to clear their lines and charge down the field with numbers on their side. O'Neil made good on the chance, putting the Lyons ahead 6-3. Graduate student Emma Terino (East Meadow, N.Y.) put a goal in the net for the Corsairs before the break, but the home side was unable to make up any more ground before the break.

Hallee kicked off the third quarter by scoring off her draw win, and had her effort compounded by a goal from senior Bridget McDwyer (Lagrangeville, N.Y.) assisted by fellow senior Sara Spielman (Norwalk, Conn.). Qua added a goal of her own soon after, and just after five minutes had elapsed in the third, the Lyons were leading 10-4. 

Parsons scored off of a ground ball pickup to make it five unanswered goals for the Lyons, but Allen got one back for the home team soon after with her fourth goal of the game. Leading 11-5, senior Natalie Bilodeau (Scarborough, Maine) joined in on the fun with a goal of her own, scoring off of a feed from McDwyer. Allen answered right back with her fifth and final goal of the game. Their last score was soon wiped away as O'Neil found the back of the net for a third time on the day. Spielman and Chamberlin both would score before the end of the quarter to help cancel out Terino's goal and put the visiting Lyons ahead 15-7. 

First year Sophie Harris (Cheshire, Conn.) opened the fourth quarter with the first goal of her collegiate career, lifting the Lyons to a 16-7 lead, but Terino answered right back with a pair of goals to her name. Wheaton kept the pressure on the Corsairs, hemming them into their own zone as the clock wound down. O'Neill and Parsons each scored before the end of regulation, giving Wheaton a resounding 18-9 win over their hosts.

Wheaton will return to Nordin Field for their first home game of 2026 this coming Wednesday, March 4 as they host Framingham State University at 4:00 pm. UMass Dartmouth will play another NEWMAC team in Salve Regina on March 3 at 7:00 pm in Newport, R.I.