THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 3 MIT 25, No. 6 Smith College 4
 
- Records: MIT (12-4); Smith (8-9)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Jack Barry Field)
 
- The Lead: In the first postseason meeting between both programs, No. 3 seed MIT defeated No. 6 Smith College, 25-4, in the quarterfinals of the NEWMAC Women's Lacrosse Tournament on Saturday afternoon. Junior Emma Tauckus (Manhasset, N.Y.) tallied a career-high seven goals and one assist to go along with four groundballs for the Engineers. Sadie Tschider powered the Pioneers with three goals.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Tauckus opened the scoring after 1:35 expired, however, Smith collected the ensuing draw control and it resulted in Tschider quickly finding the back of the net. A solo effort from junior Lindsey Gambino (Garden City, N.Y.) immediately followed but Sydney Havlick evened the score for the Pioneers courtesy of a free-position shot at the 11:31 mark. Sparked by a goal from first-year Sydney Pyon (Garnet Valley, Pa.), the Engineers rattled off six straight goals to end the quarter with an 8-2 lead. Pyon posted a hat trick and earned an assist on a strike by sophomore Makena Armstrong (San Diego, Calif.) while Tauckus scored twice, including a player-down goal.
 
- Smith ended its scoring drought when Tschider connected on a feed from Stella Alphas exactly 36 seconds into the second quarter. Almost a minute later, junior Ellie Rabenold (Cincinnati, Ohio) redirected a feed from sophomore Meredith Arterburn (Cooksville, Md.), igniting a seven-goal run that moved the score to 15-3 and featured three more Rabenold goals. Reese Gittelman found Tschider to complete the hat trick with 4:05 on the clock, but Rabenold buried a free-position shot with just over a minute remaining before halftime.
 
- MIT controlled the action in the third quarter as it outscored Smith, 6-0, and increased its advantage to 22-4. Highlights included player-advantage goals by Tauckus and first-year Julianna Flusche (Ridgewood, N.J.) as well as a player-down goal from Gambino early in the frame.
 
- The Engineers continued to have the upper hand in the fourth quarter as they tacked on three more goals. Tauckus produced the first and third goal while senior Naomi Lutz (Northbrook, Ill.) connected on a pass from Arterburn.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Rabenold totaled six goals and an assist as Gambino finished with four goals and one assist. Arterburn tallied four assists, six draw controls, three groundballs, and two caused turnovers. Pyon finished with three goals, one assist, and six draw controls while Armstrong chipped in three groundballs. In net, senior Elena Boal (West Windsor, N.J.) collected seven saves for MIT.
 
- Alphas paced Smith with three draw controls followed by two from Tatum Galuski. Havlick and Jennie Arancio both posted two groundballs while Alyssa Schams recorded seven saves and two groundballs for the Pioneers.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT will travel to No. 2 seed Babson College for the semifinals of the NEWMAC Tournament on Wednesday, May 4 at 6:30 p.m. During the regular season, the Beavers rallied to defeat the Engineers, 17-16, in overtime.
 
STAY CONNECTED:
 
- For the latest on MIT Athletics, follow the Engineers via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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