Soccer falls to WPI in season finale, 3-0

Sonia McCollum and Mount Holyoke fell 3-0 to WPI in the Lyons' season finale on Oct. 28, 2023. (RJB Sports file photo)
Sonia McCollum and Mount Holyoke fell 3-0 to WPI in the Lyons' season finale on Oct. 28, 2023. (RJB Sports file photo)

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- Worcester Polytechnic Institute got two goals from Lily Giuliano and two assists from Lottie McLeod in a 3-0 victory over the Mount Holyoke soccer team, in the regular-season finale for both teams Saturday on the MHC Soccer Field.

WPI (7-7-4, 3-4-4 NEWMAC) finishes the regular season in a tie with Coast Guard for sixth place in the conference. With a tiebreaker, WPI will be seeded seventh in next week's NEWMAC playoffs.

WPI took the lead in the 19th minute. A long cross from the right side by Maeve Steckley floated past the face of the goal and bounced along the left baseline. Lottie McLeod caught up to the ball, and Mount Holyoke senior goalie Shannon Breen (Upper Saddle River, N.J.) came out to challenge her before McLeod dished to a cutting Olivia Toolin, who banged in her third goal of the year on an undefended Mount Holyoke goal.

WPI scored its second goal in the 30th minute, when McLeod tracked down a long lead pass down the left side, carried into the box and sent a low, short cross along the baseline to Lily Giuliano, who redirected the ball with a flick of her foot to score inside the right post, Giuliano's second goal of the season.

Giuliano scored again in the 75th minute, with the help of a long free kick from near midfield by Jess English. The ball got behind the Lyons' defense and Giuliano was first to get a foot on it. The ball pushed past Mount Holyoke first-year goalie Evie Krieg (Frisco, Texas) and settled into the left-side netting as Giuliano raced to catch up to it to put another touch on the ball.

Breen finished with two saves in the first half for Mount Holyoke, and Krieg posted five saves in the second half.

Lili Hellerman made one save to earn the shutout, on a powerful free kick by Mount Holyoke sophomore Taryn White (Alexandria, Va.).

WPI outshot Mount Holyoke 26-6 and took the game's only corner kick.

Mount Holyoke finishes the season with a 3-12-2 record overall, 1-10 in conference play. Six of the Lyons' losses came by a one-goal margin.