WELLESLEY, Mass. – Despite falling to Wellesley College, 1-0, in its final game of the regular season on Saturday, the MIT field hockey team clinched the No. 1 seed in the upcoming NEWMAC Championship. This is the third time in program history the Engineers earned the top seed in the conference tournament as they previously accomplished this in 1995 and 2011.
THE BASICS:
- Score: Wellesley 1, MIT 0
- Records: MIT (12-6 Overall, 8-1 NEWMAC); Wellesley (7-10 Overall, 6-3 NEWMAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- MIT controlled the action in the first quarter as it had a 9-0 advantage in shots, but six were stopped by Wellesley goalie Hannah Simmonds.
- The Blue had the upper hand in the second quarter with a 4-1 margin in shots; however, Alexia Ninios made two saves to preserve the deadlock.
- Wellesley ended the scoreless affair just 3:39 into the third quarter when Gabi Chen drove into the circle, through a defender and took a shot that hit off a defender's stick and into the cage.
- The Engineers built some momentum in the fourth quarter as they were awarded seven penalty corners which resulted in three shots, but each attempt was blocked by the defense as the Blue hung on for the win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Ninios finished with three saves while Simmonds had seven saves on the day.
- MIT led the way in shots (17-8), shots on goal (7-4), and penalty corners (13-2).
UP NEXT:
- MIT will host either No. 4 Smith College or No. 5 WPI in the semifinals of the NEWMAC Championship on Thursday, November 5 at 6:00 PM.
STAY CONNECTED:
