BOSTON, Mass.—UMass Boston scored two early goals and cruised to a 3-0 victory over Wentworth Institute of Technology Thursday afternoon in a non-conference matchup at the Clark Athletic Field.
The Beacons jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first 15 minutes and never looked back, as UMass Boston improved to 12-1 on the year. For Wentworth, the loss dropped the Leopards to 4-9-1, as they've now dropped eight of their past 11 contests.
Sophomore forward Krista Ledin (Bridgewater, Mass.) gave the Beacons a huge boost early on, as the reigning Little East Conference Rookie of the Year scored twice in the first 13 minutes and 10 seconds.
Tayla Andrews (Plymouth, Mass.) scored the other tally for the Beacons, giving her fourteen markers on the season. Midfielder Amanda Pugliese (Pembroke, Mass.) added two assists, while Brittany Castillo (Yarmouth, Mass.) recorded her fifth assist on the year.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kristen Spain (Quincy, Mass.) continued to dominate, making two saves on two shots, to improve to 11-1. Fellow keeper Dani Perkins (Murrieta, Calif.) replaced Spain in the second half and made two saves in her first appearance in over a month.
UMass Boston dominated the Leopards with a 34-5 shot advantage. The Beacons recorded all four corners in the contest and tallied 18 shots on goal, compared to just four for Wentworth.
Ledin gave the Beacons an early lead just 8:07 into the game with a one-timer that beat Wentworth goalie Miranda Stuckey (Lafayette, Ind.). The goal was set-up by a strong cross from Castillo to Ledin, who was camped out at the top of the box.
Just over five minutes later, Ledin found the back of the net again, when Pugliese sent a pass into the box and Ledin dribbled by a defender, before sending a low shot across the goal-mouth.
The second goal essentially ended Stuckey's day in net, as the freshman allowed two goals on five shots and was replaced after 15:50. Senior Jess Gardner (Wilbraham, Mass.) donned the goalie uniform for the rest of the game and had a strong outing. The senior made 11 stops, including some point-blank saves, while allowing just one goal.
UMass Boston finished off the scoring when they got on the board just before halftime. Andrews and Pugliese hooked up on a perfect give-and-go, as Andrews and Pugliese connected on three passes, before Andrews shot the ball past Gardner to the far post.
Wentworth came out with much more intensity in the second half and had its best chance on a shot from senior Elizabeth Somma (Windham, Maine) with 12:00 to play, but Perkins made the save to keep the Leopards off the board.
Both teams are back in conference play on Saturday. UMass Boston hosts Eastern Connecticut, while Wentworth hosts Salve Regina.
(Recap Courtesy of UMass Boston Sports Information)
