MIDDLETOWN, Conn.—Wesleyan University broke open a 1-1 tie with two goals in the final 6:37, to down UMass Boston women's soccer 3-1 Wednesday afternoon.

THE BASICS

Wesleyan 3, UMass Boston 1

(UMass Boston 0-3-0)

(Wesleyan 1-0-0)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Sarah Sylla scored two goals 2:42 apart, to lift the host Cardinals to a victory in their season opener. The two goals broke up a stalemate, in which the Cardinals were dominating possession and the stat line, but struggling to break down the Beacons' back four.

For the Beacons, freshman Gigi Braga (Medford, Mass.) scored her first collegiate goal and the Beacons' first goal of the season in the first half. Sophomore Carly Robinson (Pittsfield, Mass.) picked up the assist on the play.

In goal, sophomore goalie Alyssa Fugiel (Easthampton, Mass.) put together another strong showing, as she tied her season-high with 14 saves. Fugiel made seven saves in both halves.

Sylla and Olivia Gorman combined for all three goals for the Cardinals who defeated the Beacons at Jackson Field for the second-consecutive season.

Despite being outshot, UMass Boston had the better end of the chances in the early going. In the seventh minute, Kate Leavitt (Plymouth, Mass.) headed down an Alexandria Levesque (Metheun, Mass.) free kick, but Claire Coyle made a diving stop to her left.

UMass Boston capitalized on their second free kick opportunity at 19:32. Robinson sent a bending free kick into the six-yard box and after taking a deflection, Braga roofed home a right-footed shot volley for a 1-0 lead.

Wesleyan answered just over 15 minutes later, when Gorman scored off of a Chrissy Gonzalez-Gan rebound out in front.

The Beacons had one great opportunity in the second half, but a Cardinals center back knocked the ball away, just before Kerri Alexander (Carver, Mass.) could get a shot off within the six-yard box.

Sylla put the game away in the final seven minutes. With the Beacons tiring and Wesleyan pressing forward, Sylla twice found herself alone at the post and put it home for a 3-1 advantage.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Wesleyan held a 40-4 advantage in shots and a 17-3 edge in shots on goal.
• Freshman Madi Byrom (Leominster, Mass.) made her collegiate debut in the loss.
• The Cardinals improved to 2-1 all-time against the Beacons, with all three meetings coming in the past three seasons.

WHO'S NEXT 

UMass Boston will travel to #13 Brandeis University on Saturday afternoon for a 1 p.m. start.