BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Junior midfielder Amelia Gage (Lebanon, N.H.) netted a hat trick to lead the visiting Wheaton College field hockey team to a 4-1 non-conference win over Bridgewater State University on Tuesday night at Swenson Field.
The Lyons improve to 9-7 on the season with the win, while the host Bears slip to 7-10 with their sixth straight setback.
Senior midfielder Emily Mosca (Dedham, Mass.) staked the Bears to the 1-0 lead as she scored on a breakaway in the 16th minute of play off a nice pass from junior midfielder Brittany Cullinane (Lunenburg, Mass.). Mosca beat the keeper with a shot that bounced in off the far post for her fourth goal of the season.
Gage potted the equalizer for the Lyons just over five minutes later. Sophomore forward Kelsey Buckley (Gilford, N.H.) set up the goal with a pass to the middle of the half-circle and onto the stick of Gage who fired a shot that found the right side of the cage.
With less than five minutes remaining in the opening stanza, Gage tallied her second goal of the game to give the Lyons the 2-1 lead. Gage sent a ball into the crease that was inadvertently knocked into the net by a BSU defender.
Sophomore midfielder Katie Peters (Medway, Mass.) tallied her ninth marker of the season as she converted off a penalty corner in the 52nd minute. Junior midfielder Darci Bruce (Walpole, Mass.) sent a slap-pass towards the far post to Peters who was behind the BSU defense. Peters redirected the pass into the wide open right side of the net to give the Lyons the 3-1 advantage.
Gage completed the hat trick and capped off the scoring with her team-leading tenth goal of the season in the 60th minute. Peters picked up the assist with a pass from the left side to the middle of the half-circle. Gage ripped a shot that beat the BSU keeper between the pads.
Sophomore goaltender Riley Thompson (Fairfield, Conn.) recorded her eighth win of the season between the pipes for Wheaton. Thomson turned aside seven shots in 59-plus minutes of work before giving way to freshman Emily Curran (Cohasset, Mass.) who notched three saves the rest of the way.
Bridgewater held a 21-19 shot advantage for the game as well as a 10-7 edge in penalty corners.
Junior netminder Kaylyn Allahyarian (Norwell, Mass.) recorded six saves in goal for the Bears. Mosca led all players with seven shots.
Both teams wrap up regular season play on Saturday. The Bears host Salem State University at 4:00 PM in a key Little East Conference game, while the Lyons travel to Mount Holyoke College for a noontime NEWMAC match.