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.