BOSTON, Mass. – Junior Emily Richard (Fremont, N.H.) scored a pair of goals and assisted on a third to help the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's soccer team pick up its fifth straight win with a 3-0 win over Nichols in a Commonwealth Coast Conference contest Saturday afternoon on Sweeney Field.
The Leopards, who also ran their unbeaten streak to six (5-0-1), improve to 9-2-2 overall and 4-0-1 in league play while the Bison fall to 2-9-1 (0-5-0).
After an early shot by Nichols, Wentworth applied pressure and would take the next seven shots. In the 29th minute, the Leopards connected for what would be the only goal they would need. Possession in the Bison end led to a corner kick. Richard served the corner from the left and found senior Morgan Miller (Schenectady, N.Y.), who flicked a header past sophomore Brooke Downey (Middleboro, Mass.) for her fourth marker of the season.
Wentworth continued to apply pressure in the Nichols' end and would have a 14-2 shot advantage at the break, however would only take a 1-0 lead into the locker room.
Richard netted her first of the game when she came in alone and fired a shot from 22 yards out along the top left of the box. The shot snuck under the crossbar and inside the right post to give the hosts a 2-0 lead at 53:04.
Just over six and a half minutes later, Richard put home her second of the contest, which was set up by seniors Mary Annon (Concord, N.H.) and Mary Pastorelli (Whitesboro, N.Y.). Annon served a corner kick from the right into the box where Pastorelli sent the feed to Richard in front. Richard's shot beat Downey to the right side.
Bichols best chance to score came in the 89th minute when, first, a junior Taylor Souza (New Bedford, Mass.) shot was blocked by the Leopard defense and the rebound came out to senior Brooke Maher (North Attleboro, Mass.), whose shot was stopped by sophomore Christie Fleming (Braintree, Mass.).
Fleming notched her second shutout of the season to improve to 4-0 on the season by making two saves. Downey made 12 saves in the loss. Wentworth had a 27-5 shot advantage and took 10 of the game's 11 corner kicks.
Wentworth hosts Framingham State on Wednesday night. Nichols is also in action on Wednesday as the Bison host Mass. College.