THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 20 MIT 4, WPI 1
 
- Records: No. 20 MIT (14-4); WPI (10-9)
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Jack Barry Field)
 
- The Lead: No. 2 seeded MIT produced two empty-cage goals during the final four minutes of regulation to help it secure a 4-1 victory over No. 3 WPI in the semifinals of the NEWMAC Tournament on Thursday night. Graduate student Liberty Ladd (Cornelia, Ga.) was factor in all of nationally ranked No. 20 MIT's goals while Abby Powers provided the lone marker for WPI.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- MIT got on the board after 3:35 elapsed when a pass from graduate student Paige Forester (Glencoe, Ill.) bounced off junior Eva Oppenheim's (Tiburon, Calif.) stick in the middle of the arc and went to Ladd who tapped it in at the near post. Both teams had chances to adjust the score line, but first year goalie Maeve Zimmer (Rockville, Md.) and Ella Moreau made four saves apiece during the rest of the frame.
 
- Almost a third of the way into the second quarter, MIT generated seven shots, five of which were stopped by Moreau, and was awarded two penalty corners. The midfield play resumed until Moreau turned away a shot with four seconds left in the half.
 
- The defensive battle continued in the third quarter. In the 37^th minute, Forester drew Moreau off her line for a one-on-one match up, but Moreau came up with a diving save. WPI earned a penalty corner over a minute later, however, the back-and-forth play continued until MIT earned a trio of penalty corners and put a shot on goal inside the last two minutes of the period.
 
- Attempts by Chloe Luongo and Eliza Dutson to tie the game were turned away by Zimmer during the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. MIT ended the stalemate in the 53^rd minute when a bouncing ball made its way to Ladd who swiped it to the far post as Moreau was falling to the ground to stop the shot.
 
- WPI, who pulled Moreau for an extra field player, narrowed the gap to 2-1 with 4:58 remaining. Dutson's initial shot from the far side of the arc was stopped, however, the ball eventually made its way to Powers who put it past Zimmer. Exactly 53 seconds later, Oppenheim created some breathing room when she redirected a feed from Ladd to the far side of the open cage. MIT increased the score to 4-1 with 1:44 to go when Ladd was on a breakaway, but a defender poked the ball away. Forester corralled the ball and sent a leading pass back to Ladd who completed the hat trick.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Zimmer recorded six saves while junior Jordan Dattero (Setauket, N.Y.) came up with a defensive save for MIT. Moreau, meanwhile, finished with 13 saves for WPI.
 
- MIT ended the night with advantages in shots (22-8), shots on goal (17-8), and penalty corners (13-4).
 
- This was the second year in a row and the third in four years MIT and WPI have met in the NEWMAC semifinal.
 
- In last year's 1-0 victory, Ladd scored the lone goal for MIT.
 
- This is the seventh straight season MIT has advanced to the NEWMAC title game.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT will travel to top-seeded and nationally ranked No. 2 Babson College for the NEWMAC Championship game on Saturday, November 4 with a time to be announced. This will be the sixth time in seven seasons both squads will battle for the conference title. The Engineers won in 2017 and 2019 while the Beavers were victorious in 2016, 2021, and 2022.
 
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