BOSTON, Mass. – Junior Emily Richard (Fremont, N.H.) factored into all three of the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's soccer team's goals as the Leopards used a three-goal second half to defeat Western New England, 3-0, in a Commonwealth Coast Conference contest Saturday afternoon on Sweeney Field.
Winners of three straight the Leopards improve to 7-2-2 overall and 3-0-1 in CCC play while the Golden Bears fall to 4-7-1 (2-2-0).
Wentworth had a pair of chances early in the contest, however both bids were denied by sophomore keeper Marissa Veilleux (Newington, Conn.). In the 28th minute, Richard nearly gave the hosts a 1-0 lead, however her shot glanced off the far post.
The Golden Bears' best chance of the half came in the 41st minute when sophomore Erin Grimes (Attleboro, Mass.) had an open attempt, however the bid was cleared out by a backline Wentworth player. Wentworth had an 8-5 shot advantage at the half.
Early in the second half Wentworth kept the offensive pressure on and nearly scored, however Veilleux made a pair of stops. Richard broke the ice at 59:57 when she took a pass from senior Rachel Perras (Portsmouth, R.I.) along the right side and fired a shot from the top right side of the box which went to the upper left corner of the net.
Richard's corner kick in the 72nd minute helped create the Leopards' second goal of the afternoon. She served a kick from the left corner to senior Mykaela Scarpace (Marlborough, Conn.), who fed the ball across the box to senior Amanda Weinberger (Colchester, Conn.). Weinberger finished the play by putting a shot inside the right post.
At 77:31, Richard again served a corner from the left and this time senior Morgan Miller (Schenectady, N.Y.) flicked a header past Veilleux. Just 30 seconds later, Western New England had a chance to get on the scoreboard, however graduate student Emma Norden's (Belchertown, Mass.) shot from in front was met with a diving save from sophomore Christie Fleming (Braintree, Mass.).
Fleming made three saves to pick up her second straight win while Veilleux made seven saves in the loss. Wentworth had a 20-10 shot advantage and a 6-2 edge on corner kicks.
The Leopards continue their four-game homestand on Wednesday night when they host UMass Boston.
