Wheaton falls behind early during 4-0 setback at Bridgewater State

September 18, 2007

BRIDGEWATER, MA- The Wheaton College field hockey team saw host Bridgewater State College put up two goals in the first five minutes of regulation Tuesday afternoon before dropping a 4-0 non-conference decision on Swenson Field. The Lyons fall to 5-3 overall, while the Bears are now 4-1.

Wheaton had defeated Bridgewater State four straight times, outscoring its counterpart, 9-2 during that stretch. The loss to the Bears marked the Lyons' first since 2002. Bridgewater State also stopped a three-game scoreless streak against Wheaton since a 3-2 double-overtime loss in 2003.

Freshman Bethany Bush (Littleton, MA/Littleton) scored just over a minute into action, and senior Katie Balboni (Townsend, MA/Saint Bernards) rattled off her first of three goals at the 4:46 mark to give the hosts a quick 2-0 edge. Balboni tacked on another score midway through the stanza as the Bears carried a comfortable 3-0 lead into the break. Sophomore Cassie Abel (Windham, NH/Salem) prevented Bridgewater State from scoring a fourth time thanks to her first-half defensive save.

The Bears added an insurance goal not even 10 minutes into the second half, as Balboni completed her hat trick with the game's final score. Senior Courtney Sergio (West Bridgewater, MA/West Bridgewater) assisted on Balboni's last two goals.

Wheaton freshman Cameron Abel (Windham, NH/Salem) and sophomore Andrea Bagley (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) had four saves apiece in the cage in the first and second halves, respectively, while Bridgewater State used three goalies in the shutout. Senior Nicole Downs (Hanover, MA/Hanover) stopped four first-half shots to record the win.

The Lyons begin their New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) schedule Saturday afternoon at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) at 2:00 p.m.

SCORING: 1st 2nd Final
Wheaton (5-3) 0 0 0
Bridgewater State (4-1) 3 1 4

1st Half: BSC- Bethany Bush (Stacey Takis) 1:22, Katie Balboni (Ashley Panzini) 4:46, Balboni (Courtney Sergio) 16:19

2nd Half: BSC- Balboni (Sergio) 44:13

Goalie Saves: WC- Cameron Abel (35:00) 4, Andrea Bagley (35:00) 4; BSC- Nicole Downs (35:00) 4, Chelsea Bracchi (23:37) 0, Katie Weber (11:23) 2

Shots: WC- 9; BSC- 13

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