Blue Field Hockey Upsets Smith, 3-0; Advances To NEWMAC Semifinals

2017 NEWMAC Field Hockey Championship Bracket

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. -- Sophomore Hannah Maisano (Gambrills, Md.) scored a pair of goals and classmate Mitzi Wiggin (North Hampton, N.H.) added a goal and an assist to lead sixth-seeded Wellesley College field hockey to a 3-0 upset victory over third-seeded Smith College in the quarterfinals of the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Field Hockey Championship on Tuesday night at the Smith Turf Field. 

With the victory, Wellesley improves to 8-11 overall and advances to the NEWMAC semifinals for the fifth time in the last six seasons. The Blue will face second-seeded MIT this Saturday, November 4, at 2:00 PM at Babson College. Smith ends their season with a 9-10 overall record. 

Maisano put Wellesley on the board early in the first half, scoring her fifth goal of the season at 3:03 when she scooped home a rebound off a shot by junior Rachel Hwang (Campbell, Calif.). Maisano's goal would stand as the game-winner, but not before the Blue added two more to secure the 3-0 victory. 

Wiggin scored her second goal of the season at 33:32 to make the score 2-0 before the half. On Wellesley's sixth penalty corner of the opening half, first year Danielle Brubaker (Princeton Junction, N.J.) inserted the ball to classmate Carson Dennis (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.). Dennis then moved the ball along to Wiggin who knocked it in from the top of the circle.

The Wellesley goal scorers combined to put the game out of reach in the second half, as Maisano scored her second of the game on an assist from Wiggin at 39:06 to increase the Wellesley lead to 3-0 and punch the Blue's ticket to the NEWMAC semifinals.  

The Blue outshot Smith 18-13 in the contest, but both teams finished with 11 penalty corner chances. Wellesley junior goalkeeper Maggie Connelly (Duxbury, Mass.) made five saves to record her second shutout of the season, while Smith senior goalkeeper Cameo Tietje (Massapequa, N.Y. ) had eight saves in the setback.

Wellesley dropped a 1-0 final to MIT during the NEWMAC regular season on October 17. Saturday's semifinal tilt will be the first between the two teams since MIT defeated Wellesley, 2-1, in the semifinals of the 2012 NEWMAC Tournament.