WELLESLEY, Mass. – Junior goalie Elise LeBlanc (Hampstead, N.H.) stopped all 13 shots that she faced to record her first collegiate shutout and lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) field hockey team over host Wellesley College, 2-0, in a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference contest at Butler Stadium in Wellesley, Mass.
The Lyons improve to 4-4 overall and 1-1 in league play, while the Blue slip to 1-7 and 0-2.
Wellesley owned an overall shot advantage of 19-12, including 14-7 for shots on frame. The Blue also boasted a 9-5 margin in penalty corners, but Wheaton made the most of their offensive opportunities.
Following three scoreless quarters of play by both teams, the Lyons scored just 2:03 into the fourth quarter to take a 1-0 lead. Junior forward Kayla Wilonski (Wallingford, Conn.) lifted a shot from just inside the arc that was batted down by the Wellesley keeper, but sophomore forward Katie Sirois (Greene, Maine) was there in the right slot for a rebound shot that resulted in her third goal of the season.
Wheaton added an insurance marker with just 22 ticks left in the contest. Wilonski carried the ball inside the arc, before unleashing a sliding shot to her right that found the back of the cage on the right side for her team-leading seventh tally of the year.
The Blue's best chance to score in the match came in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Junior midfielder Gabi Chen (Mountain View, Calif.) fired a shot that was denied by LeBlanc in front of the cage. Chen collected the rebound and squirted a rebound shot past LeBlanc for the potential tie, but senior defender Maddie LaBreck (Rollinsford, N.H.) was there for the defensive save to keep the shutout alive for the Lyons.
The save total for LeBlanc was a career high for the visiting goalie.
Junior midfielder Madeline Hamstra (Houston, Texas) led the Wellesley offense with eight shots, including six on cage, while junior keeper Hannah Simmonds (Austin, Texas) registered five saves for the home team.
Wheaton returns to action on Tuesday, September 29 when it travels to Worcester, Mass. to take on NEWMAC foe Worcester Polytechnic Institute at 7:00 p.m., while the Blue host No. 21 Bates College on September 30 at 6:00 p.m.
