WELLESLEY, Mass. -- The Wellesley College field hockey team blanked visiting Mount Holyoke, 3-0, in NEWMAC action on Saturday afternoon in Wellesley. The win lifts the Blue to 9-5 overall, 4-1 in the NEWMAC, while the Lyons even their mark to 6-6, with a 2-3 record in conference play.

Wellesley's defense held Mount Holyoke to just five total shots, and only one in the first half. The Blue, meanwhile, piled on 19 shots with 11 penalty corners, connecting on two goals in the first half and one in the second to complete the 3-0 shutout.

The Blue's Emily Lewis broke through first, tapping a long cross pass from Allison Robbins into the back of the cage for a 1-0 lead at the 13-minute mark. Five minute later, Nathalie Gruet made it 2-0 Wellesley, scoring after a scramble in front of the cage.

At the break, the Blue held a 7-1 advantage in shots and a 4-1 edge in corners. Mount Holyoke's Anne O'Byrne kept the Lyons in the game, recording two first half saves.

Mount Holyoke controlled action early in the second half, picking up four penalty corners and three shots in the first eight minutes of play. Wellesley's defense held strong, however, not allowing a shot on goal. The Lyon's best chance came in the 41st minute, when an open look by Sarah LaQuerre sailed high.

After Mount Holyoke's initial threat, Wellesley took over, only allowing one more Lyon shot the rest of the way. The Blue then set the final to 3-0 with a goal from Anissa Sridhar, who scored her first collegiate goal after handling a pass from Lallie Lukens.

Mount Holyoke's O'Byrne finished the game with four stops, suffering the loss. Wellesley's Brit Mscisz recorded the shutout win, not needing to make a save in 70 minutes of work.

Wellesley is back in action on Tuesday, traveling to NEWMAC-leading Babson, for a 6:00pm. Mount Holyoke next plays on Tuesday at Clark, starting at 7:00pm.  

Story credit to Lauren Ferrett, Wellesley Sports Information Director.