WESTFIELD, Mass. – The MIT women's lacrosse team kicked off the 2026 season by defeating Westfield State University, 24-10, on Wednesday.
Ashley Thomas generated six goals and three assists, breaking the program record for career points as she eclipsed the mark of 308 that was set by Emily Young '18.
THE BASICS:
- Score: MIT 24, Westfield State 10
- Records: MIT (1-0 Overall); Westfield State (0-1 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- MIT controlled the action in the first quarter as it outscored Westfield State, 9-1, after opening the game with six unanswered goals. Thomas produced the first and last goal of the frame, Gwen Flusche recorded a hat-trick, Nina Petulla posted two goals and an assist, and Annica Lam notched one goal and one assist.
- Strikes from Jillian Butler and Lam exactly 45 seconds apart increased the lead to 11-1 at the 11:11 mark of the second stanza. The Owls chipped away at the deficit, generating four consecutive goals with two coming from eight meters and one with a player down. Thomas ended the Engineers' scoring drought with 1:42 remaining as the visitors entered halftime with a 12-5 advantage.
- MIT carried the momentum into the third quarter as it rattled off three straight goals, capped by Thomas's record-breaking tally. Petulla started the burst by redirecting a feed from Lam and then Mairin Anderson won the ensuing draw and set up Butler for the goal. Both teams went on to trade goals until Westfield State found the back of the net with 12 seconds to go, making the score 17-9.
- The Engineers had the upper hand in the fourth quarter as they produced a 7-1 scoring advantage. Thomas registered two goals and an assist, Alexis Reinard accounted for one goal and one assist, and Samantha Moorhead scored the final goal of the game on a feed from Anderson with 18 seconds remaining.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Lam finished with four goals and two assists as Petulla posted four goals and one assist.
- Flusche tallied three goals, four draw controls, three groundballs, and two caused turnovers as Butler added three goals and four draw controls.
- Anderson collected 16 draw controls, breaking the record of 15 that was set by Katie Notarangelo '18 on April 25, 2018 against the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
- In net, Pauline Vien made two saves in 45 minutes while Ashton Flather stopped one shot during the fourth quarter.
- Thomas currently stands with 317 points and joined Young as the only players in program history to reach 300 career points.
UP NEXT:
- MIT will travel to Union College for a 12:00 PM game on Saturday, March 7.
STAY CONNECTED:
