WORCESTER -- No. 8 Colby scored once in the first half and twice in the final 14 minutes to pull away from WPI, as the Mules defeated the Engineers 3-0 Wednesday evening in a non-conference matchup at H. Carr Field.
The setback moves WPI to 5-4-1 on the season. Colby, ranked No. 8 nationally and third in Region I in the latest IWSOC Coaches Poll, improves to 7-1-0. WPI is ranked eighth in Region II.
Colby generated the majority of the early pressure, earning three corner kicks during the opening 15 minutes before
Abigail Marsolais (Norton, MA) made her first save of the evening on Annie Liebich in the 22nd minute. WPI registered its first shot on goal moments later when
Abigail Johnson (Middletown, CT) tested Colby goalkeeper
Talia Thompson (Brookline, MA), who made the stop. The Mules broke through at 29:13 when
Amanda Schneider (Boxford, MA) converted a feed from Eloisa Luczkow to give Colby a 1-0 lead. Marsolais kept the deficit at one with saves on Holly Davies and Claire Walsh later in the half.
Colby continued to apply pressure early in the second half, collecting seven corner kicks between the 46th and 55th minutes. Marsolais turned aside four Colby shots in the contest, including a pair in the opening 45 minutes, while the WPI defense limited the Mules to a single goal through the first 75 minutes.
The Mules finally added some breathing room at 76:15 when
Ciara Morrissey (Sudbury, MA) finished a pass from
Taylor Oranellas (Yarmouth, ME) to make it 2-0. Oranellas then capped the scoring at 81:51, finishing a rebound after Liebich's header hit the crossbar following a Colby corner kick.
Marsolais finished with four saves in the complete-game effort for the Engineers, while Thompson made one stop to record the shutout for Colby. The Mules finished with a 19-2 advantage in shots and a 7-1 edge in shots on goal, while Colby also held a 12-4 advantage in corner kicks. Johnson recorded WPI's lone shot on goal, while
Maeve Steckley (Irondequoit, NY) had the Engineers' other shot, which was blocked in the 87th minute
Both teams hit the road on Saturday. WPI ventures to Babson for a 1pm kickoff, while Colby heads to Vermont for an 11am tilt with Middlebury.
