SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - Wheaton College used a second-half surge to power past Mount Holyoke College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Saturday afternoon. The victory for the visiting Lyons moves to 11-4-1 with a 4-4-0 record in conference play, while the homestanding Lyons slip to 3-10-2 with a 1-7-0 mark in the NEWMAC.
After a defensive battle to open the first half, Wheaton broke after sophomore defender Lauryn Parent (Belchertown, Mass./Belchertown) corralled the ball on the left side of the field. Sending the ball into the middle, it landed on the foot of first year Chloe Troy (Wethersfield, Mass/Wethersfield), who turned right and fired it into the upper right corner past MHC senior goalie Amanda Manaster (Beverly Hills, Calif./Beverly Hills) in the 39th minute.
In the second half of action, Wheaton continued to press, gaining a 2-0 advantage after first year defender Amanda Dunton (Huntington Beach, Calif./Marina) sent a long shot in off the corner. The ball sailed through the front crease, banking off the left post and into the goal in the 50th minute. Mount Holyoke answered in the 62nd minute, breaking through on junior midfielder Cora Melcher's (Portland, Maine/Casco Bay) first tally of the season. Classmate and forward Hannah Finn-Erb (Northampton, Mass./Northampton) earned the helper on the goal after she carried the ball from the left corner and sent it to the high middle at Melcher one-timed it into the right corner past keeper Alexa Barbagallo (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan).
Despite the momentum, the visiting Lyons found the back of the net once more, scoring less than four minutes after MHC's tally. Sophomore midfielder Sam Ortiz (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) earned the score, heading in the ball after a perfectly placed corner from Dunton in the 65th minute.
Wheaton owned a 22-6 margin in shots for the contest, owning a 9-1 edge in corner kicks. Barbagallo earned the victory, stopping three shots. For Mount Holyoke, Manaster posted six stops.
MHC returns to action on Tuesday when it hosts Smith at 6pm on the soccer field. Wheaton is back on the field on Wednesday at Springfield for a 7pm tilt.
