THE MATCHUP: Mount Holyoke rounds out its three match homestand versus New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) foe WPI this evening (7:00 p.m.) at the Mount Holyoke Turf Field. In 25 previous meetings between the programs, the Engineers hold a 17-8 advantage. Last fall, they downed the Lyons for the second time in a row, winning by a score of 2-1 in penalty strokes. Match Program
PLAY PINK: The Mount Holyoke field hockey team has partnered with the Play 4 the Cure Foundation to raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer through the "Play Pink" initiative. "Play Pink" is a nationwide, unified effort by field hockey teams to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the field, across campuses, in communities and beyond. For more information, click here.
THE LYONS: Mount Holyoke (7-5, 2-3 NEWMAC) picked up a dramatic 3-2 overtime victory over MIT in its most recent outing on Saturday. Shara Robertson scored off a feed from forward Stephanie Slysz in the waning minutes to seal things. It was her team leading 11th tally of the fall. Of those, three have been winners. At the other end, goalkeeper Katie Gibson came up with a season best 15 saves en route to her seventh win of the year. Earlier in the week, she secured her fifth shutout of the year in the Lyons' 3-0 victory over Castleton State College. Gibson has spearheaded a Mount Holyoke defense that has surrendered just 14 goals this season. The junior has posted a goals against average of 1.13 and a save percentage of .857. On the offensive end, Slysz has recorded six goals, while defender Tricia Chase has chipped in with three goals and a pair of assists. Forward Jess Fajardo has chipped in with seven points on two goals and three assists. Meanwhile, midfielder Taylor Hedges has also posted three helpers.
THE ENGINEERS: WPI (4-9, 0-5 NEWMAC) has suffered seven straight setbacks after opening the season with an overall record of 3-2. The Engineers have gone winless in NEWMAC play. Their wins came against Fitchburg State College (2-0), Lasell College (6-1), Bridgewater State University (3-2 OT) and Becker College (5-1). Midfielder Danielle Antonellis has collected 14 points on six goals and two assists to lead the way for WPI. The Engineers have also received a boost from forward Maggie Wigley, who has amassed three goals and five assists. Forward Meghan Linskey has totaled four goals and two assists, while forward Celena Dopart has dished out a team best seven helpers. Aly Caceras and Liz Dufresne have split time between the pipes.
NEXT UP: Both squads will resume their NEWMAC slates on Saturday. Mount Holyoke will visit Clark University at 1:00 p.m., while WPI will travel to Wellesley College at noon. The Lyons' final home match will be on Saturday, October 30 against Springfield College at 1:00 p.m.
