SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Junior midfielder Sophia Struckman posted a first half hat-trick to lead the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to a 10-2 win over Mount Holyoke College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, the Engineers move to 9-2-1 and remain perfect a 4-0-0 in conference play. The homestanding Lyons are now 3-7-1 with a 1-4-0 NEWMAC record.
MIT got things going early as Struckman (Scottsdale, Ariz./Chaparral) got the visitors on the board just 4:26 in. The Engineers struck again at 8:01 as junior forward Allie Werner (Tyler, Texas/All Saints Episcopal School) sent one in past the Lyons keeper.
Following a score from senior defender Hailey Nichols (Boulder, Colo./Fairview), Struckman pushed the advantage to 4-0, converting on a pass from first year midfielder Karenna Groff (Weston, Mass./Weston) in the 14th minute.
The Lyons answered less than three minutes later with a tally off a corner kick. Senior midfielder Avia Jacobs (Calabasas, Calif./Sierra Canyon) sent in a great cross from the corner, which landed in the middle of the box. Junior midfielder McKenna Lamb (Redland, Calif./The Webb Schools) found it, turned and fired into the open right corner to cut the deficit to 4-1.
Despite the momentum, Struckman and senior midfielder Sarah DiIorio (Scotch Plains, N.J./Union County Magnet) each found the back of the net to return the lead to 6-1 in the 31st minute. Lamb scored once again to cut the Lyons deficit once more, but two more scores, including another from DiIorio sent the Engineers into halftime with an 8-2 advantage.
The second half saw MIT once again play solid defense, limiting MHC to just two shots, while recording two more tallies of their own. Sophomore forward Brittany Sacks (Calabasas, Calif./Sierra Canyon) pounded in a feed from Groff, while junior forward Claire O'Callaghan (Sherborn, Mass./Dover-Sherborn Regional) saw her shot sneak in at the 75th minute.
In goal, MIT saw senior Lily Mueller (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South) record two saves as she picked up the win through the first half of action. Sophomore Riley Terando (Folsom, Calif./Vista del Lago) played 22:45 to open the second half, not being forced to make any stops, while rookie Haylee Niemann (Las Vegas, Nev./Arbor View) played the final 22:15 and had a save. MHC saw senior Amanda Manaster (Beverly Hills, Calif./Beverly Hills) shoulder the loss, making 11 saves over 69:12 minutes of action. Rookie Martha Rothenberg (Santa Monica, Calif./Midland School) played 20:48 of relief and made one save.
Mount Holyoke returns to action on Tuesday, traveling to Clark for a 1pm conference tilt against the Cougars. MIT is back on the pitch on Sunday when it travels to #2 Williams for a 12:30pm match.
