Whitaker's OT Goal Leads Blue Field Hockey Past Smith

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Sophomore Madeleine Whitaker's double overtime goal lifted the Wellesley College field hockey team to a 3-2 victory over Smith College in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Saturday afternoon.

Whitaker made a stop on a Smith breakaway in the Blue's defensive end and carried the ball up the field where she sent a give and go pass to Sally Scudder.  Scudder then tapped it back to Whitaker who found the back of the net, just 1:23 into the second extra period. The win improves Wellesley to 2-3 in NEWMAC play (4-8 overall), while the Pioneers drop to 0-6 in the NEWMAC, 4-8 overall.

Smith jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, after just 11 minutes of play. Nia Spooner picked up both scores for the Pioneers, the first off of a rebound on her own shot, and the second assisted by Rebecca Rosen.

Wellesley pulled to within one, as Scudder knocked home a penalty stroke at the 14 minute mark.  Three minutes later, Emily Lewis knotted the game at 2-2, capitalizing on a scramble in front of the net.

Despite outshooting Smith 18-3 in the first half, Wellesley couldn't break the tie and the game went into the break at 2-2. 

Smith had several chances to score late in the second half, the first of which was thwarted by Wellesley's  Katie Frett, who knocked out a pass in front of an empty net.  The Pioneers then made four shot attempts over the final three minutes, including two penalty corners as time expired, but the game was sent into overtime.

During the first overtime, Smith held a 4-2 advantage in shots and a 5-0 edge in penalty corners.  However, Wellesley's Sarina Sawyer recorded three saves, including a diving stick stop off of a rocket from Phoebe Hopkins.

Overall, Wellesley held a 27-15 lead in shots, while Smith took the advantage in penalty corners, 12-9.

In goal, Sawyer picked up seven saves, while her counterpart Savannah Lawson, also recorded seven stops.

The Blue are back in action on Tuesday at 6:00pm, traveling to NEWMAC-leading MIT.  Smith next plays Amherst on Tuesday at 7:00pm in a non-conference clash.