#18 Wheaton Upends Blue Soccer
WELLESLEY, Mass. – The visiting Wheaton College women's soccer team posted a 2-0 victory over Wellesley College on Tuesday afternoon in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) match-up played in a steady downpour.
The win lifts Wheaton, ranked 18th in the latest NSCAA national poll, and 3rd in the latest regional poll, to 9-1-2 overall with an unblemished 4-0 record in NEWMAC play. Wellesley falls to 2-8-2 overall, with a 1-3 mark in conference play.
Sophomore Kristina Braga put Wheaton up early, as a beautiful cross from Emily Vincunas found her feet. Braga was able to dodge a defender to pull the keeper out and then knocked her team-leading eighth goal of the season into the back of the net for a 1-0 Lyon advantage.
Wheaton added a second score in the 58th minute, on a second effort after a corner kick. The initial ball off the corner was cleared from the box, but the Lyons' Samantha Cronin sent the ball back in where Bailey Bowling got a foot on it and knocked a shot off the back of the Blue keeper for the score.
Wellesley's best opportunity to score came in the 54th minute when a shot off the foot of the Blue's Ava Mokhtari was stopped by a diving save from Wheaton keeper Lindsay Leddy.
Wheaton ended the contest with a slight 12-11 advantage in shots, while collecting the game's only four corner kicks. Wellesley outshot Wheaton in the first half, holding a 9-6 advantage, but the Blue were unable to capitalize.
Wheaton's Leddy earned the shutout victory, her sixth of the season, recording three saves. Wellesley's Claire Cerda suffered the loss, picking up one save.
Wellesley is back in action on Saturday, hosting Coast Guard in a 1:00pm NEWMAC clash. Wheaton also returns to NEWMAC play on Saturday at one, hosting MIT.