LAFAYETTE HILL, Pa. - - Four unanswered second half goals and a hat trick by junior Chelsea Grace helped the Wilmington University women's soccer team keep its second place stance in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference standings with a 6-2 win over Chestnut Hill on Wednesday afternoon at Victory Field #1.
Tied 2-2 early in the second half, the Wildcats (8-6-2, 8-1-1 CACC) rallied to score the final four goals, all in a 10-minute span, to take control of the match. Chestnut Hill (6-9, 6-4 CACC) tied the match at 2-2 in the 55th minute after trailing 2-0, but couldn't stop the onslaught of the Wilmington goal-scorers.
Grace (Palmyra, N.J./Palmyra) scored back-to-back goals during a six-minute span in the second half, leading the Wildcats with what would prove to be the game-winner. In the 65th minute, Grace headed home a cross from Jenna Quaranta from the left side to the right corner of the goal, giving the Wildcats a 3-2 lead which would stand as the winner.
From there, the Wildcats poured it on as Grace finished off her hat-trick in the 71st minute with an unassisted goal off a loose ball from a defender for the 4-2 lead. A minute and one second later, Jordanne Hoesli-Atkins converted a penalty kick for her second goal of the season and the 5-1 lead. Senior Brittany Rhodes capped the score in the 75th minute with her second goal of the match as Victoria Vasapolli played the ball from the right side into the middle of the field, and Rhodes buried it home for the 6-1 lead.
Both Wilmington and Chestnut Hill fired off 17 shots, but the Wildcats tallied 14 in the second half to the Griffins nine. Wilmington earned six corners during the 90 minutes while holding the Griffins without a corner kick during the match.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 2-0 leading, first scoring in the 28th minute and again after the halftime break in the 50th minute.
In the first half, Grace opened the scoring on a shot to the upper left 90, finishing a pass to the right flank from Morgan Fraczkowski. The sophomore from Forrest Hill, Md., Fraczkowski didn't stop dishing out assists as she aided in Rhodes first goal of the match, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead 4:18 into the second match. Fraczkowski crossed the ball into the mix from the right side, when Rhodes put a shot past the keeper for the 2-0 lead.
The hat trick was the first of the season for the Wildcats and helped put Grace into the team lead with seven goals and 19 points. She also leads the team with five assists. The two goals in the match give Rhodes six goals on the season. It is the team's first hat trick since Klaudia Furman scored three goals against Goldey-Beacom on September 15, 2009
Wildcat goalkeeper Amanda Walters recorded four saves for her eight win of the season while Griffin net-minder Jessica Veazey stopped four shots in the loss.
The win gives the Wildcats 25 points in the CACC with two conference matches remaining. Their next two matches are second Caldwell and Georgian Court, both of which have 24 points and sit directly behind the Wildcats. Wilmington heads to Caldwell on Saturday for a 12 p.m. start for their next match.