10/18/2008
Field Hockey Falls Short Against Wheaton College in Overtime

NORTON, MA- Freshman Cara Cusson (Ashfield, MA/Mohawk Trail Regional) tallied with 69 seconds left in the second overtime, propelling the Wheaton College field hockey team past Clark University, 1-0 on Saturday during Homecoming weekend at Clark Field.

The Lyons improved to 8-6 overall and 3-2 in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play, while the Cougars slipped to 5-8 and 1-4. Wheaton is now 4-1 in its last five games and has won five straight contests against Clark.

During a game in which the Lyons held advantages of 27-3 in shots and 16-6 in penalty corners, a Clark defensive save just 3:30 into the contest denied Wheaton on what proved to be the best opportunity for either team in regulation. After a scramble in front of the net, a Blue and White player sent a shot toward goal, but Cougar junior back Gloria Torres (West Hartford, CT/Hall) stood her ground and cleared the ball of the line.

Clark didn't fire off its initial shot of the contest until the 44th minute, as neither team seriously threatened again until overtime. After having a 14-2 shots advantage in regulation, Wheaton outshot the Cougars, 13-1 during the extra sessions.

In the first overtime period, junior Alex Block (Saratoga, CA/Saratoga) twice nearly ended the game in the hosts' favor, but a 79th-minute shot hit the outside of the right post, and an apparent goal two minutes later was waved off after the shot was deemed too high.

During the final stanza, Clark freshman Meghan Lennon (Charlton, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) rushed up the right side and fired a shot on junior keeper Andrea Bagley (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro), who made a kick save with her right leg at the 13:46 mark. At the other end, Block was denied in the 91st minute by junior keeper Kathryn Dawsey (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs), who swatted a shot away with her left hand.

With a little more than a minute remaining, Wheaton ran its third penalty corner of the second overtime. A blast by senior Alisa Ardito (Branford, CT/Branford) was stopped by Dawsey, but Cusson pounced on the rebound and tucked a shot just inside the right post.

Bagley made one save in recording her fourth shutout of the season, and her second in a row, while Dawsey stopped 10 Lyon shots.

Clark will play in its final home regular season game of the season against Mount Holyoke on Tuesday (7 p.m.). Wheaton hits the road for the final time during the regular season when it takes on Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.

Courtesy of Wheaton College Sports Information