Box Score NORTON, Mass. – The fourth-seeded Wheaton College (Mass.) field hockey team was upsset by number five seed Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 1-0, in overtime this evening in the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference Tournament Quarterfinals on Nordin Field on the campus of Wheaton in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons finish their season at 8-10 after qualifying for the NEWMAC Tournament for the first time since 2010. The Engineers advance to the Semifinals to play top-seeded and nationally-ranked no. 3 Babson College on Thursday, November 4 at 6:00 p.m. in Babson Park, Mass.
WPI dominated possession for most of the match and held a decisive 19-1 shot advantage and took the only three shots in the overtime period. Most of the Engineers' time of possession was due to a 19-0 margin in penalty corners.
WPI executed its 19th penalty corner and received a shot from sophomore back Samantha Robison (Wrentham, Mass.) in overtime, but the shot was blocked by the Wheaton defense and deflected out of bounds to give the ball back to the Engineers at the top of the circle. WPI looked to make another rush, but senior forward Lauren Dishong's (Milford, N.H.) shot was also blocked before sophomore midfielder Lauren Meinhold (Boxboro, Mass.) controlled on the right side, where she fired a shot inside the right post for the game-winning score and just her second marker of the season with 6:03 left in overtime. The goal ended a stretch of 123:57 of scoreless play from the Engineers against the Lyons as WPI avenged a 2-0 defeat on the same turf just 11 days ago.
The Engineers mustered the only offense of the first quarter, controlling the midfield through the first 15 minutes. WPI fired five shots while holding Wheaton without an attempt, but the only WPI shot on goal, a strike from Natalie Mohn (Huntington, VT) was saved by the Lyons' sophomore keeper Emma Lapreziosa (Bowdoinham, ME).
The visitors kept the pressure on the Wheaton defense through the second frame, but still the game remained scoreless. A 24th-minute shot from Eliza Dutson (Woodstock, CT) forced another Lyon save, but despite 4-0 advantages in both shots and penalty corners, the game was 0-0 at the break.
The teams traded shots on goal to open the third quarter, but both keepers made saves to preserve the tie. WPI's Rachel Drasser (Lunenburg, MA) had a hard knock stopped just 16 seconds into play, while Wheaton answered with its first shot of the game a few minutes later. The Lyons received its only scoring chance in the quarter when first year midfielder Lydia Gaudreau (Gorham, Maine) fired a shot on goal, but junior goalie Nini Acquista (Longmeadow, Mass.) stopped the bid to keep her fourth career shutout intact. Neither team managed much offense over the rest of the frame.
WPI controlled the fourth quarter with a 3-0 shot edge, while also racking up four penalty corners in a three minute span. Wheaton's Lapreziosa kept the scoreless tie intact, saving a pair of shots from Meinhold in the quarter, sending the game into overtime.
Lapreziosa was outstanding for Wheaton, performing under duress for most of the evening, the keeper stopped six shots for the home team, while the defense denied the Engineers' relentless attack.
