Box Score BOSTON, Mass. – Freshman forward Kristen Kudlic scored her second hat trick in three games and in the process established a new single-season school record for goals as the Wentworth women's soccer team jumped out to a 3-0 halftime lead and held on in the final minutes to defeat Nichols, 3-2, in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference contest played at Sweeney Field
Kudlic wasted little time getting the Leopards on the board as she took a pass from classmate Claudia Feria and buried a shot to the right side at the 3:10 mark. At the 9:21 mark, sophomore defender Megan Rogoff fed freshman midfielder Tina Carty who would send a pass to Kudlic in the open. Kudlic found an opening in the left side of the net to put Wentworth up 2-0. The goal, Kudlic's 13th of the season, broke the school record for markers in a season (12), which was set by Caillin Wall '07 during the 2005 season.
Senior midfielder Aly Kane threaded a pass to Kudlic inside the box with just under 19 minutes left in the half, where she beat the keeper who had come out to play the ball. The Leopards had several chances to increase their lead, but Nichols senior keeper Sarah Levesque (Ludlow, Mass.) made 10 first-half saves to keep Wentworth at bay. The Leopards would hold a 19-5 shot advantage at the break.
To open the second half, Wentworth came out firing, but could not convert, including hitting the post in the 51st minute and Levesque making a key stop on a Kudlic attempt. As the half moved along, the Bison began to put pressure on the Leopard defense.
At the 82:12 mark, Nichols broke into the scoring column when first-year midfielder Chelsea Shaughnessy (Halifax, Mass.) came in on a breakaway and put a shot to the upper left corner, trimming the lead to 3-1. With 2:04 remaining, first-year midfielder Kaleigh Rhoades (Florence, Mass.) made it a one-goal game with an unassisted tally. This would be as close as the Bison would get, though, as Wentworth hung on for the win.
Freshman Katherine Matthews made nine saves for Wentworth, including five in the second half. Levesque made 12 stops for Nichols. The Leopards held a 27-19 shot advantage, however, the Bison outshot their hosts 14-8 over the final 45:00.
The win, Wentworth's third straight, improves the Leopards' record to an even 6-6 overall and 5-2 in TCCC play. The Leopards are at the University of New England Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Nichols, which has dropped three straight, falls to 6-6 (2-5). The Bison host New England College Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
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