Blue Field Hockey Starts NEWMAC Tournament Play on Wednesday

WELLESLEY, Mass. – The Wellesley College field hockey team will begin play in the 2012 NEWMAC Field Hockey Tournament on Wednesday. The Blue finished the regular season with a 6-2 record in conference play, earning the team the number-three seed. Babson earned the number one spot with a perfect 8-0 record, while MIT finished second at 7-1. 

Wellesley will host a quarterfinal game on Wednesday at 3:00pm, taking on sixth-seeded Mount Holyoke, who finished 2-6 in NEWMAC play. Last time they met, Wellesley came away with a 3-0 victory, holding 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. Emily Lewis, Nathalie Gruet and Anissa Sridhar scored for the Blue, while Brit Mscisz earned the shutout in goal.

The winner of the Wellesley/Mount Holyoke game advances to the tournament semifinals on Saturday, to take on second-seeded, MIT. The last time Wellesley played the Engineers, MIT posted a 4-1 win. The Engineers held a 15-11 advantage in shots, but Wellesley piled on 10 penalty corners to eight for the MIT. Wellesley's lone goal against the Engineers came from Hannah Flesch, while Mscisz made six saves in goal. 

Lewis and Gruet lead the Blue in scoring this season. Lewis has recorded 13 goals and an assist for 27 points, while Gruet has added 12 goals and a helper for 25 points. Flesch leads the team with nine assists, while Maddie Whitaker leads the team with three defensive saves. In goal, Mscisz has 11 wins for the Blue, with 76 saves and two shutouts.

Babson will host both the semifinal and final rounds of the NEWMAC tournament. Semifinals will be played on Saturday, November 3 at 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., with the winners advancing to Sunday's championship at 12:30 p.m.

2012 NEWMAC Field Hockey Championship

Quarterfinals: Wednesday, October 31 at higher seed:
          #1 Babson - Bye
          #2 MIT - Bye
          #6 Mount Holyoke at #3 Wellesley - 3:00 p.m.
          #5 Clark at #4 Springfield - 4:00 p.m.
 
Semifinals: Saturday, November 3 at Babson:
           Winner #4/5 Seed at #1 Babson - 12:00 p.m.
           Winner #3/6 Seed vs. #2 MIT - 3:00 p.m.
 
Championship: Sunday, November 4 at Babson: 
           Semifinal Winners - 12:30 p.m.