LYNDHURST, N.J. - - A pair of second half goals propelled the Wilmington University women's soccer team to a 2-0 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference victory over Felician on Saturday evening at the Lyndhurst Recreation Complex.
The win kept Wilmington (7-6-2, 7-1-1 CACC) alone in second place in the CACC with 22 points. The Wildcats have three conference games left to play, and the top eight teams at season's end qualify for the CACC Tournament.
After a scoreless first half, the Wildcats broke through early in the second half with what would prove to be the game-winner only 3:41 into the second 45 minutes. Senior Brittany Rhodes got free on the right flank, crossing the ball to junior Chelsea Grace who finished from close range at 48:41 into the match. It was Grace's fourth goal of the season as she now is tied for the team lead with 13 points.
Senior Vikki Zipf put the game away in the 77th minute, converting a penalty kick for her first goal of the season.
The scoreboard remained empty in the first half, thanks in large part to each team's defensive play in saving their goalkeeper's at the last second. In the sixth minute, Felician's Emily Gleason received an interior pass and got a shot off which beat Wildcat goalkeeper Amanda Walters but was cleared off the line by Zipf. Fewer than six minutes later, Golden Falcons senior defender Jen Jimenez returned the favor, denying a shot from Grave that was otherwise ticketed for the back of the net.
Although outshot 17-15, the Wildcats capitalized on their opportunities, scoring on two of their five shots on goal. The Golden Falcons were only able to get four shots on goal in the match, as Walters recorded three of them for her and the team's fourth shutout of the season. Golden Falcon goalkeeper Allie Couzo stopped two shots for Felician in the loss.
The Wildcats were led by Morgan Fraczkowski's four total shots while Rhodes finished with three. Zipf, Grace and Jordanne Hoesli-Atkins tallied two shots each.
With a CACC Tournament position locked, the Wildcats have three matches remaining to gain the highest seed possible in the eight team tournament. They next head to Chestnut Hill on Wednesday for a crucial matchup on the road. The Griffins and Wildcats match is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. at Victory Field #1 at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School.