Lyons two wins away from capturing first conference field hockey title

November 1, 2007

NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College field hockey team makes a return to the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament semifinal for the second consecutive season this weekend, as the third-seeded Lyons are two wins away from capturing their first league championship. Wheaton is set to play number two Wellesley College at host Babson College.

This year's tournament features the same four schools as a season ago, as top seed Babson is pitted against number four and nationally-ranked Springfield College in Saturday's first semifinal at 12:00 p.m. Wheaton is set to square off with Wellesley at 2:00 p.m. The winners meet on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. for the tournament crown and an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Enjoying another successful year, Wheaton's 13 wins this fall combined with its 15 from 2006 have given the program its most victories during any two-year span in school history. The Lyons, whose 55 goals are four shy of last year's program-best 59 tallies, enter this weekend riding a three-game winning streak as Wheaton blanked sixth seed Clark University, 3-0 in last Saturday's opening round. Wellesley boasts a 12-5 record after having knocked off seventh seed Smith College in the first round.

The Lyons have won eight of their last 10 games, including five of their last six contests. The lone loss in that six-game stretch came at the hands of Wellesley, as Wheaton suffered a 2-0 setback on October 16. Over the past 10 matches, the Blue and White has scored at least two goals in nine of those games, including tallying three times on six occasions. The Lyons' seven shutouts rank in a tie for third in the program's annals and are three off the all-time leader.

With a program-best six league wins this fall and a 6-2 mark among the nine teams, Wheaton looks to reach its first conference title game since 1997 and its first NCAA Tournament since 1983. The Lyons will turn to the program's all-time leading point scorer in senior co-captain Sara Dimick (Cumberland, ME/Greely) to help lead the team's offense. Ranked first in career points and assists and second in goals, Dimick's season totals of 11 assists, 43 points and 16 goals are tied for first and good for third and fourth, respectively, in the record book. She also has four game-winning goals.

Junior Alisa Ardito (Branford, CT/Branford) leads the league with five game-winners to go along with her nine goals, eight assists and 26 points. Five others have contributed double-figure scoring to lead a balanced attack, as Wheaton has received 15 points from sophomore Alex Block (Saratoga, CA/Saratoga) and 14 from senior Lyndsie Ryalls (Branford, CT/Branford). Both Ardito and Ryalls rank among the top five Wheaton players all time in goals, assists and points.

Wheaton's had the good fortune of having 10 of 11 players start all 18 games, including its entire defense. Senior co-captain Kim Anson (Washington, CT/Shepaug Valley) leads a young backfield that includes sophomores Cassie Abel (Windham, NH/Salem) and Andria Laroche (Skowhegan, ME/Skowhegan Area) and freshman Ashley English (Watertown, MA/Watertown). Classmate Cameron Abel (Windham, NH/Salem) has enjoyed success in the cage, as her 13 wins tie a Wheaton rookie record. She is also tied for second overall in single-season wins. Abel is 13-5 with four shutouts.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 7/28/08.
Questions about this page? Use our query form.