Late Goal Pushes MIT Past Wellesley Field Hockey
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Katie Kauffman redirected a shot from the
top of the circle in the game's final minutes to help MIT secure a
dramatic, 2-1 win over visiting Wellesley College in New England
Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) field hockey action
on Jack Barry Field Tuesday night. The Kauffman goal, along with
stellar MIT defense, which limited the Blue to just six shots,
helped the Engineers get back in the win column and improve to 14-2
overall and 6-1 in league play. The victory was Tech's first over
Wellesley (4-9, 2-4 NEWMAC) since 2004.
After entering the ball on a penalty corner with just under two
minutes remaining, Kauffman positioned herself on the left post and
was in the perfect spot to deflect Alex Wright's initial attempt
past Wellesley goalkeeper Sarina
Sawyer. The goal was Kauffman's 11th of the season and
third in the past five games.
Kimberly Barker gave the hosts an early advantage, gathering a
bouncing rebound in front of the net and tapping it into the cage
just over 10 minutes into the contest. Tech would control
possession for most of the period, peppering Sawyer and the
Wellesley defense with 18 shots in the half.
The pace slowed considerably in the second stanza and the action
shifted to the midfield, as the teams combined for just nine shots
in the final 35 minutes. Emily Lewis finally
broke through for the Blue just over eight minutes into the second,
as she took a pass from Sarah Mohtes-Chan and beat
MIT goalie Keri Dixon to knot the score at one. The teams would
play another 25 scoreless minutes before Kauffman's game-winner in
the waning moments.
The Cardinal and Gray held a 22-6 advantage in shots and earned
seven penalty corners to just three for Wellesley. Dixon made three
saves, all in the second half, to pick up her 14th win of the
campaign. Sawyer stopped 11 shots in the losing effort.
MIT is now off for the next 10 days before concluding its regular
season with a home game against Babson College on October 30. The
1:00 p.m. contest could help decide the NEWMAC regular season crown
and the top seed in next month's conference tournament. The Blue
are back in action on Saturday, October 23, hosting WPI at 12:00
p.m.