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| Shelby Stone |
The College of Wooster's offense exploded in the first half, as it scored 12 times off the sticks of seven different players, which allowed the Fighting Scots to cruise to an 18-9 victory over Ohio Wesleyan University on Wednesday evening in North Coast Athletic Conference action at Delaware, Ohio.
With the win, the Scots (4-7, 4-3 NCAC) move into sole possession of fourth-place in the NCAC with one game remaining on the schedule. That game will be against Oberlin College (8-4, 3-4 NCAC) on Saturday at 1 p.m., with the winner earning a berth into the NCAC Tournament.
Shelby Stone tied a season-high with six points (4 goals, 2 assists), with her first goal coming just :38 into the game. Moments later, Ellie Hudson-Heck scored two of her four tallies, both on assists from Stone, which put Wooster ahead 3-0.
The Battling Bishops (8-8, 2-5 NCAC) responded with two goals of their own, although Eliza Perry sandwiched one in between, which made it a 4-2 game about nine minutes into the first half.
It was at that juncture that Wooster began to pour it on, as it outscored Ohio Wesleyan 8-2 to close out the stanza, which included five during a span of just 6:57. The Scots went into the break with a 12-4 cushion, which was more than enough to hold of the Bishops, although the second half was much more competitive.
One of the biggest differences on the stat sheet was on free-position shots, where Wooster made 4-of-5 attempts and Ohio Wesleyan came up empty on six tries. The Scots also turned the ball over just 14 times, compared to the Bishops' 26 (three caused by Alison Schlothauer).
Along with Stone's and Heck's strong outings, Perry (2 goals, 1 assist) and Heather Szymanski (2 goals) also stood out offensively. Both of Szymanski's goals came on free-position shots late in the second half.
Goalkeeper Isabel Perman made five saves in the triumph.