Sept. 9, 2006
NORTON, MA - The Wheaton College field hockey team pulled out its third one-goal decision of the season with a 2-1 victory over Endicott College during the Lyons' home opener on Saturday at Clark Field. The Lyons are off to their first 4-0 start since 1994, while the Gulls fall to 2-2.
Freshman Alex Block (Saratoga, CA/Saratoga) tallied her second goal of the year just 1:46 into the contest to give the Lyons a lead they never relinquished. Junior Sara Dimick (Cumberland, ME/Greely) set up the play inside the circle, feeding the ball to Block, whose soft shot found Endicott senior keeper Erin Curry's (Hampstead, NH/Gould Academy) five-hole.
With nearly 23 minutes remaining in the opening half, Endicott found itself on the Wheaton doorstep with five consecutive penalty corners, but senior keeper Mary Catherine Boll (Columbus, IN/Miss Porter's School) came up with two stops, and junior back Kim Anson (Washington, CT/Shepaug Valley) turned in a crucial defensive save on junior Jennifer Rheaume's (Blackstone, MA/Blackstone-Millville Regional) shot.
Midway through the half, Dimick netted her sixth goal of the season after driving into the circle, juking a defender and sliding a shot from the far post into the left side of the cage. Wheaton's lead remained two goals after freshman back Andria Laroche (Skowhegan, ME/Skowhegan Area) snuffed out an Endicott 2-on-1 break with a defensive save with less than two minutes remaining in the opening stanza.
Endicott broke through with 7:18 left in regulation, as Boll stopped a shot by sophomore Jennifer Beech (Devonshire, Bermuda/Saltus Grammar) before senior Caitlin Murray (Templeton, MA/Gardner) pounced on the rebound and sent home a backhander.
The teams each recorded 13 shots during the contest, while Endicott held a 12-9 edge in penalty corners. Boll stopped five shots for Wheaton, while Curry and sophomore Chelsea DeFeo (York, ME/York) each played one half and combined on six saves.
