Cockburn and Kronenberg combine on Wheaton's fourth straight shutout as nationally-ranked Lyons down Gordon, 2-0

October 19, 2006

WENHAM, MA- Wheaton College extended its winning streak to 13 games, as the Lyons picked up a 2-0 non-conference women's soccer victory over Gordon College on Thursday afternoon. The Blue and White posted its fourth straight shutout and has blanked opponents for the last 428:31. Wheaton, which is ranked 10th nationally and second in New England by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), improved to 16-1. The Fighting Scots fell to 10-5-1 on the year after dropping the teams' first series meeting.

Senior Bridget Furlong's (Newburyport, MA/Newburyport) fourth goal of the season 3:45 into the contest went down as the game-winner. Freshman Lyndsey McManus (Marshfield, MA/Marshfield) started the play by sending a long ball high and diagonally across the field, where classmate Katie Watson (Langley, WA/South Whidbey) flicked a pass to Furlong. The senior tallied her third career game-winning marker.

During the 51st minute, Wheaton doubled its lead. Junior Lauren Konopka (Medford, NJ/Holy Cross) worked her way into the box and sent a shot on freshman keeper Abby Ytzen (Des Moines, IA/Des Moines Christian), who made the save but allowed a rebound to carom to junior Jenna Rabesa (Teaticket, MA/Falmouth). Rabesa buried her seventh goal of the season and 26th of her career, leaving her one point shy of tying Beth Caromile '05 for sixth in program history at 78. Konopka assisted, moving her to 98 points and within two of becoming the sixth Lyon with 100.

Junior goalies Elana Cockburn (Chestnut Hill, MA/Brookline) and Stacey Kronenberg (Belchertown, MA/Belchertown) had one save apiece during 45 minutes of action, as Cockburn improved to 7-0 and pushed her personal shutout streak to 364:50. Gordon senior Mary Griffenhagen (Winston-Salem, NC/Mount Tabor) stopped five first-half shots before giving way to Ytzen, who turned aside two shots in the second stanza. The Lyons held a 17-6 advantage in shots, including a 10-2 edge in the second half, while recording four of the game's five corner kicks.

The Lyons have a pair of regular season games remaining, both of which are against New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) counterparts. On Saturday, Wheaton travels to Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) for a 4:30 p.m. contest. With a win or tie, the Blue and White will clinch at least a share of its eighth straight regular season conference title. The Lyons enter the contest with a 71-game NEWMAC unbeaten streak, one shy of the second-longest conference run in NCAA soccer history.

SCORING: 1st 2nd Final
Wheaton (16-1) 1 1 2
Gordon (10-5-1) 0 0 0

1st Half: WC- Bridget Furlong (Katie Watson, Lyndsey McManus) 3:45

2nd Half: WC- Jenna Rabesa (Lauren Konopka) 50:49

Goalie Saves: WC- Elana Cockburn (45:00) 1, Stacey Kronenberg (45:00) 1; GC- Mary Griffenhagen (45:00) 5, Abby Ytzen (45:00) 2

Shots: WC- 17; GC- 6

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/31/07.
Questions about this page? Use our query form.

News Headlines

Stiegler provides updates on Wheaton's international tour through Portugal (more)

Wheaton women's soccer set to tour Portugal from March 6-16 (more)

Stiegler shares Pan American Maccabi Games experience with NCAA's Double-A Zone (more)