The Wheaton College field hockey team finished its season on a down note Saturday afternoon, as the host Lyons dropped an 8-2 decision to New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) foe Clark University at Faxon Field.
Wheaton ended its fall with an overall record of 3-14 and league mark of 0-8, while the Cougars advance to next week's NEWMAC Tournament at 12-5 and 4-4.
Senior Alex Smith (Suffield, Conn./Suffield) and junior Jenna Rocha (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth Regional)scored second-half goals for the Lyons.
Clark leading scorer and senior Mel Melkonian (Worcester, Mass./Saint Peter-Marian) turned in four tallies, including collecting a hat trick in the opening half. Classmate Madeleine Lutts (Salem, Mass./Salem) added three markers and an assist.
The Cougars didn't waste any time getting on the scoreboard, as Melkonian found the back of the cage at 5:35. Lutts scored just 58 seconds later. Two additional Melkonian tallies at 23:22 and 25:09 made the score 4-0 entering the intermission.
Smith converted a feed from sophomore Sarah McNicholas (Boxboro, Mass./Acton-Boxboro Regional) to trim Wheaton's deficit to three goals at 40:04, but Clark responded with three markers during a 7:50 span to put the game away for good.
Blue and White junior goalie Ellie Massengill (Amherst, Mass./Amherst Regional) contributed eight saves in the loss. Cougar junior Jordannah Saunders (Scarborough, Maine/Scarborough) was credited with five stops in 62:13.
The visitors finished with a 21-11 advantage in shots, including taking 14 of the 17 first-half attempts. The Lyons held a 7-3 edge in penalty corners.
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