Boston, MA --- Linae Bezdek (Frisco, TX) netted a goal in each half to power host Emerson to a 2-1 triumph over WPI in a NEWMAC women's soccer matchup played on a beautiful Wednesday evening at Rotch Field
 
With the result, the Lions see their record move to 6-6-5 overall and 5-3-2 in conference action while WPI falls to 7-6-4 on the season and 4-4-2 in NEWMAC play.  The teams entered play tied for fifth in the conference with 14 points.  Emerson is now tied for fourth with Springfield with 17 points and the Engineers drop to seventh place.  Both teams are assured of a spot in next week's NEWMAC Tournament with the top four seeds hosting quarterfinal contests on Tuesday.
 
Bezdek put Emerson on the board with a goal on the first shot of the game.  Katie Wojcik (North Andover, MA) received a pass towards the right corner and passed it towards the top of the right corner of the box to Marissa Krenn (Pittsburgh, PA), who sent a nifty one-touch across the box to Bezdek streaking towards to back post.   The junior blasted home her team-leading fifth goal of the season at 6:05 to put the Lions ahead 1-0.
 
The opening 45 minutes was tightly contested with each team totaling four shots and WPI holding a narrow 2-1 edge in corners.
 
The Lions took a 2-0 lead nearly an hour into the match when Bezdek struck again at 56:37. Emerson began the scoring sequence with a corner, and it looked like the Crimson and Gray had cleared it but the hosts kept the ball in and Krenn was able to muster a shot that was saved by WPI's Lili Hellerman (Ashland, MA).   Bezdek was there and knocked home the rebound for her second goal of the match and sixth of 2024.
 
WPI pulled one back with just under 10 minutes remaining as defender Jess English (Ledyard, CT) took advantage of a free kick opportunity with a laser over the outstretched hand of Lions netminder Hailey Forman (Saratoga, CA) to find the back of net at 80:12 in the match.  It was the sophomore's first career goal.
 
The guests accounted for the only three shots the rest of the way but back-to-back bids in the 85th minute by Katie Adiletta (Bolton, MA) and Madisyn Bagby (Aurora, CO) were blocked and Abigail Johnson's (Middletown, CT) shot went wide left with under two minutes remaining and the Lions held on to capture the critical three points.
 
Forman finished with six stops in net for the hosts while Hellerman recorded five saves for WPI.  For the match, WPI outshot the Lions 11-10 and attempted three of the match's five corners.
 
WPI closes out the regular season on Saturday, hosting Mount Holyoke at noon while Emerson ventures across the Charles River to face No. 4 MIT at 1pm.