CAMBRIDGE, MA – Lesley University improved to 6-0-0 in New England Collegiate Conference play with a 4-1 win over visiting Mitchell College Tuesday night in women's soccer play at Edward Field.
Sophomore Veronica Halen (San Diego, CA/Cathedral Catholic) scored two goals and Jackee Sanchez (Santa Clarita, CA/Golden Valley) added a goal and an assist as the Lynx won their seventh straight.
For the second time in two weeks, Lesley floored a previously unbeaten second place NECC team, with this win leaving the Lynx (10-3-0 overall) as the league's only undefeated team after dropping the Mariners to 3-1-2 in league play and 5-4-3 overall.
Halen put the Lynx on the board with her league-leading 15th goal, striking from 25 yards on an indirect kick tapped from Kate Ryder (Glastonbury, CT/Mercy), scoring into the lower right corner at 7:55.
Mitchell answered in the closing seconds of the first half on the team's only shot of the period. On a pass across the box from Nikki Hoxie (Winsted, CT/Gilbert School), reserve midfielder Madeline Crow (Rockville, MD/Quince Orchard) beat Lynx keeper Emileigh Lloyd, and despite being outshot 13-1 in the half, Mitchell went into the intermission tied 1-1.
Lesley, which outshot the Mariners 10-0 in the opening minutes of the first half, came out equally aggressive in the second. Sanchez (Santa Clarita, CA/Golden Valley) tallied her 13th goal of the season, sending home a ball deflected off the left post from right in front of the post in putting the Lynx up 2-1 at 51:48.
Halen upped her league lead to 16 goals at 61:58 on a pass from Sanchez that led to another long strike from Halen. The Lynx upped the lead to 4-1 at 76:47 on a strike from freshman Alexis Giusti (Meridan, CA/Yuba City), the recipient of a beautiful one-time pass from Sarah Apgar (Andover, NJ/Lenape).
For Mitchell, sophomore Kaylee Woodford (Niantic, CT/Morgan) stopped five shots in net, hitting the turf for a handful of sprawling saves.
Lesley returns to action on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Regis College.
