BOX
SCORE
WORCESTER, Mass. -- Seniors Sarah Tracy (Oakland, Maine) and
Nicole Maglione (Charlton, Mass.) netted goals less than eight
minutes apart in the second half to help host WPI rally for a
thrilling 2-1 victory over Babson in a New England Women's and
Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament quarterfinal contest
on Saturday afternoon. WPI improves to 11-7 while Babson sees
its season come to an end with an 11-9 record.
The victory was the first for the Engineers in NEWMAC Tournament
action since a 1-0 win over Smith on October 28th, 1999.With the
win, WPI advances to next Saturday's semifinals where they will
face top-seed and host Springfield at 11am.
Babson junior Jess Paladino (Turner, Maine)
opened the scoring for the Beavers at the 29:21 mark when she
knocked in her 14th goal of the season following a wild scramble in
front of the net. Sophomore Colleen Kelly
(Milton, Mass.) was credited with an assist on the play. The
goal capped an opening 30 minutes of play that saw the Beavers take
all nine shots and attempt all nine penalty corners.
WPI was able to muster some momentum just before the break
attempting three shots. The Engineers came out of the locker
room and continued to apply pressure, evening the game when Tracy
buried a perfect cross by Kelly Johnson (Buxton, Maine) at
41:13. Then, playing a person down due to a yellow card, the
Crimson and Gray scored the game-winner when Maglione knocked home
a rebound following a Johnson shot at 48:56.
Babson would not go away quietly, taking five of the final six
shots of the game. The Beavers were awarded a penalty corner
in the waning seconds and got a quality shot on net but WPI
goalkeeper Betsy Ray (Simsbury, Conn.) made the save to secure the
victory. Ray was strong in net for the Engineers, making six
stops on the day while first-year Jessica Pashos
(Winchester, Mass.) was credited with four saves for the Beavers.
For the game, Babson enjoyed a 14-8 advantage in shots and a
13-9 edge in penalty corners.
Game story courtesy of WPI Sports Information.
