Northampton, Mass. - October 26, 2019 - Behind first-half goals from Margaret Robb (Summit, N.J.) and Kylie Brooks (Oceanside, Calif.), the Mount Holyoke College field hockey team picked up an important 2-0 win over Smith College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, the Lyons are now 8-8 on the year and 3-4 in conference play, while the Pioneers, which won the NEWMAC Championship in 2018, fall to 3-13 overall with a 1-6 mark against league opponents. Mount Holyoke College held a 16-14 shot advantage over 60 minutes of play, while the Lyons were also awarded six penalty corners compared to Smith's five.
In net for Mount Holyoke College, Morgan Turner (Chester, N.J.) made eight saves en route to her eight win of the season. Her counterpart, Taylor Wells (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) recorded five saves in the setback.
It only took the Lyons 4:40 to get on the board as Robb notched her eighth goal of the season, granting Mount Holyoke College an early 1-0 advantage. The visitors would continue to pour the pressure on the Pioneers' net, producing three more shots in a span of 52 seconds, but Wells stayed strong to keep it a one-goal game at the end of the first quarter.
The two sides battled back-and-forth for the majority of the second quarter as well, with Smith dominating play in the first 2:37 of the frame, producing two penalty corners and three shots. Following a penalty corner sent in by Mirei Golding-Powers (San Francisco, Calif.) with less than two minutes remaining in the first half, Brooks was able to find the back of the net for her seventh of the season, giving the Lyons a 2-0 lead with 43 seconds on the clock.
Mount Holyoke College produced four more shots and a penalty corner in the first 6:09 of the third quarter, but Wells was able to pick up a save to keep the Lyons' advantage at a pair. Changing momentum, Turner was able to keep the Pioneers off the board, making three critical stops in the final 6:28 of the third quarter.
The Lyons were awarded a pair of penalty corners to start the fourth quarter, which resulted in a pair of shots for Robb, but Smith's defense held strong. With less than 10 minutes to play, Smith had a pair of shots, but Turner was up to the test and sealed the shut-out victory for the Lyons.
Up next, Mount Holyoke College will head to Eastern Connecticut on Tuesday, October 29 for a 5 p.m. contest with the Warriors.
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