Field Hockey Set To Host NEWMAC Tournament Championship

BABSON PARK, Mass. -- For the third time in the last six years, Babson College will play host to the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Field Hockey Semifinals and Finals this weekend. As the tourney's top seed, Babson (13-5) will face fifth-seeded Springfield College (9-10) in the first semifinal matchup on Saturday, November 6, at noon, with second-seeded MIT (14-3) and third-seeded Wheaton College (13-7) playing in Saturday's second semifinal at 3 p.m. The two semifinal victors will then meet in the 2010 NEWMAC Championship Game on Sunday, November 7, at 12:30 p.m.

Cost of admission for each day of the conference championships is $4 for adults, $2 for senior citizens, $1 for students with ID, and free for children 11 and under. All Babson students with OneCards will be admitted free courtesy of the Athletic Department and the Undergraduate School.

The Beavers earned the right to host this year's tournament by earning the program's third regular season title and its second 8-0 sweep of the conference. Coached by Julie Ryan, Babson features the league's top scoring offense in conference play, averaging 4.63 goals per game against NEWMAC foes. The Beavers are led by the quartet of senior co-captains Colleen Kelly (Milton, Mass.) and Sarah Fredlund (New Preston, Conn.), junior Courtney Weaving (New Preston, Conn.), and first-year star Morgan Lockwood (Feeding Hills, Mass.). Lockwood is currently the nation's top-scoring first-year with 22 points and seven assists for 51 total points - the third highest single-season point total in Babson field hockey history. Fredlund and Kelly each joined Babson's illustrious 100-point club this fall, as Fredlund has notched 15 goals and 11 assists for 41 points and Kelly has tallied 11 goals and a team-high 16 assists for 40 points. Weaving has added 13 goals and five assists for 31 points this season, including a team-best four game-winning scores.

Defensively, Babson is anchored by junior back Anneliese Brosch (Essex, Mass.), who has recorded one goal, five assists, and two defensive saves this fall, and junior goalkeeper Jess Pashos (Winchester, Mass.), who has started all 18 games in net for the Beavers, posting a 13-5 record, a 1.90 goals against average, and a .744 save percentage.

Seeded fifth in this year's tournament, perennial powerhouse Springfield College earned a spot in the semifinals by upsetting fourth-seeded Mount Holyoke, 4-2, in the first round on Tuesday. The Pride, coached by Melissa Sharpe, are led by first-year Kelly Gallo (Westfield, Mass.), who currently paces the squad with 11 goals and five assists for 27 points this fall, and junior Alexa Carlson (New Milford, Conn.), who has added six goals and a team-high nine assists for 21 points. On the defensive end, Springfield is led by senior captain Meagan Dobson (Longmeadow, Mass.), who has three assists and one defensive save this season, and junior goalie Alison McCarthy (North Andover, Mass.), who has amasses a 9-10 record, a 2.46 GAA, and a .781 save percentage in 19 games this fall.

Babson defeated Springfield, 3-0, in their regular season matchup back on October 23, behind two goals and one assist from Kelly.

The NEWMAC's defending champion, second-seeded MIT joined Babson with a first-round bye after going 6-2 in conference play this fall. Coached by Cheryl Silva, the Engineers boasted the NEWMAC's top scoring offense overall, thanks in large part to 19 goals and seven assists for 45 points from junior Kameron Klauber (Carlsbad, Calif.). MIT also feature three other players that have eclipsed the 20-point mark this season, as junior captain Katie Kauffman (Olney, Md.) has 11 goals and six assists for 28 points, sophomore Kimberly Barker (Camden, N.Y.) has 12 goals and one assist for 25 points, and senior Jessica Oleinik (Ellicott City, Md.) has nine goals and three assists for 21 points.

Defensively, MIT is led by senior captain Alex Wright (Devon, Pa.), who enters the weekend with six goals and four assists for 16 points to go with one defensive save, and sophomore Molly McShane (Lake Bluff, Ill.), who has added three goals and a team-high 10 assists for 16 points from the midfield. Senior keeper Keri Dixon (Bethlehem, Pa.) has been the Engineers' mainstay in net, posting a 14-3 record, a 1.52 GAA, and a .742 save percentage.

Facing off against MIT in the semifinal round will be third-seeded Wheaton, which blanked sixth-seeded Clark, 7-0, in Tuesday's first round to advance to this weekend's play. Coached by Rebecca Begley, the Lyons are led by senior Jessica Strock (Centerville, Mass.), who has accumulated 16 goals and seven assists for 39 points this fall, and juniors Aliza Underhill (Corinth, Maine) and Emily Asack (Stoughton, Mass.), who both enter the weekend with nine goals and four assists for 22 points. First-year Emily Chick (Bangor, Maine) has also been a key contributor in Wheaton's balanced attack with eight goals and six assists for 22 points, while senior captain Margauz Bolte (Belmont, Mass.) sports six goals and a team-leading nine assists for 21 points.

At the defensive end, the Lyons are anchored by first-year keeper Ellie Massengill (Amherst, Mass.), who has started all 17 games this fall and gone 11-6 with a 3.17 GAA and a .680 save percentage, and junior back Bonnie Davies (Roxbury, Conn.), who sports a team-high five defensive saves to go with three goals and seven assists for 13 points.

MIT topped Wheaton by a score of 3-1 in their regular season meeting back on October 9, thanks to two goals from Oleinik.