Soccer Prepares For NEWMAC Tournament

Tournament Bracket | NEWMAC Soccer | NEWMAC Soccer Tournament History

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (Oct. 29, 2009) – The Mount Holyoke College women’s soccer team has qualified for the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament for the second year in a row and fourth time in program history. The eighth seeded Lyons are slated to take on top seeded Wellesley College in the Quarterfinal Round on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in Wellesley, Mass.

NEWMAC TOURNAMENT: The NEWMAC Tournament will kick off with four Quarterfinal Round contests on Saturday, October 31. Semifinal Round matches are slated to take place on Saturday, November 7, and the Championship will be held on Sunday, November 8.

Quarterfinals: Saturday, October 31 at higher seed's site:
#8 Mount Holyoke College at #1 Wellesley College - 1:00 p.m.
#7 Babson College at #2 Wheaton College - 1:00 p.m.
#6 WPI at #3 MIT - 1:00 p.m.
#5 Clark University at #4 Springfield College - 7:00 p.m.

Semifinals: Saturday, November 7 at highest remaining seed
Winner #4 Springfield/#5 Clark vs. Winner #1 Wellesley/#8 Mount Holyoke
Winner #3 MIT/#6 WPI vs. Winner #2 Wheaton/#7 Babson

Championship: Sunday, November 8 at Semifinal Site:
Semifinal Winners – 1:00 p.m.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Springfield College captured the NEWMAC Tournament Championship last fall and also finished on top in 2005. Since the league’s inception in 1998, Wheaton College has secured seven Tournament titles (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007). Meanwhile, Babson College (1998) and Wellesley College (1999) have accounted for one win apiece. Mount Holyoke and Wellesley have never faced off in the NEWMAC Tournament.

THE MATCHUP: Eighth seeded Mount Holyoke travels to top seeded Wellesley for a NEWMAC Tournament Quarterfinal Round match on Saturday, October 31. The contest will take place at the Wellesley Soccer Field beginning at 1:00 p.m. In 22 previous meetings between the programs, the Blue own a 15-5 advantage. The teams have finished in a deadlock on two occasions. Wellesley has defeated the Lyons five times in a row.

MOST RECENT MEETING: When the two squads met during the regular season on October 3, Wellesley cruised to a 4-0 triumph. First year midfielder Chelsea-Ann Patry found the net twice to lead the way for the Blue. Both teams went scoreless until the 35:13 mark, when sophomore midfielder Amanda Young scored what proved to be the match winner off an assist from first year midfielder Jennifer Marble. Wellesley then pulled away with three second half tallies. Patry recorded her first just 1:43 into the frame to put her team in front 2-0. She then made the score 3-0 in the 73rd minute, when she capitalized on a feed by Marble. First year midfielder Megan Turichi knocked in a penalty shot to close out the scoring in the 84th minute. Goalkeepers Katie Martore and Ingibjörg Magnúsdóttir made five saves apiece for the respective squads.

THE LYONS: Mount Holyoke (4-11-1, 3-5-1 NEWMAC) posted a 3-1-1 mark over the final two weeks of the regular season. Included in that span were upset victories over both Springfield (2-0) and Clark (1-0). On Tuesday, the Lyons cruised to a 9-2 victory over the Coast Guard Academy. Their nine goals were their most since the 1984 season, when they blanked Colby-Sawyer College 11-0. Seniors Perry Markell, Lauren Orr and Jesse Sugrue led the offensive explosion. Sugrue and Orr recorded two goals and one assist apiece, while Markell added a goal and two helpers. For the season, Orr has amassed team highs of 11 points, four goals and three assists. Two of her tallies have gone down as winners. Sophomore midfielder Mary Cooke has registered four goals and one assist. Meanwhile, Sugrue has chipped in with a pair of goals and three assists. Magnúsdóttir has played 1190 minutes between the pipes for Mount Holyoke. She has accumulated a goals against average of 1.82, a save percentage of .774 and three shutouts.

THE BLUE: Wellesley (8-5-3, 6-1-2 NEWMAC) captured a share of the NEWMAC regular season championship for the first time in program history. The Blue have gone undefeated in their last five matches, posting a 4-0-1 mark over that span. They played to a scoreless tie with Wheaton College in their most recent outing on Tuesday. As a result, both squads finished in a deadlock atop the league’s final regular season standings. Patry has paced Wellesley with 19 points, seven goals and five assists, all team highs. The Blue have also received solid production from Turchi, who has found the back of the net six times. Senior midfielder Catherine Caruso has added three goals and three helpers. Martore has been Wellesley’s featured goalkeeper. In 978 minutes, she has posted a goals against average of 0.64, a save percentage of .915 and four shutouts. 

NEXT UP: The winner of this match will face off against the winner of the contest between fourth seeded Springfield College and fifth seeded Clark University next Saturday.