May 3, 2008
Box Score
BABSON PARK, Mass. -
Top-seeded Babson College outscored fifth-seeded MIT, 10-1, in the second half to claim a 14-6 victory over the Engineers in the semifinals of the 2008 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Women's Lacrosse Tournament at Babson's MacDowell Field on Saturday afternoon.
Ranked 10th in the nation by the IWLCA, Babson improved to 14-2 and advanced to Sunday's championship game at 1 p.m. The Beavers will take on the winner of Saturday's second semifinal matchup between #2 Springfield and #3 Wellesley. Meanwhile, MIT sees its season come to a close with a record of 5-8.
In a closely played first half, Babson took a 4-3 lead after back-to-back goals by sophomore Anna Collins (Winchester, Mass.) and Jackie Godfrey (Franklin, Mass.) with 9:15 remaining, but MIT sophomore Samantha O'Keefe (Carlisle, Mass.) answered with two straight scores, including one with 51 seconds remaining, to give the Engineers a 5-4 advantage heading into the break.
Babson took the lead for good early in the second half, scoring four straight goals from four different players. Collins nettted her third of the day at 25:06, junior Lindsay Bucci (Medford, Mass.) scored at 23:56, sophomore Kaitlyn Pettengill (Hopkinton, Mass.) struck at 22:45, and senior tri-captain Anita Martignetti (Winchester, Mass.) made it 8-5 at 20:25.
MIT got one goal back when O'Keefe scored her fourth of the afternoon with 14:47 left in the game to make it 8-6, but that would be all the Babson defense would allow the rest of the game as first-year Sarah Macary (Woodbury, Conn.) made six of her 12 saves in the second stanza. Meanwhile, the Beavers ripped off six unanswered goals in the final 14 minutes, including three more by Godfrey and two by Martignetti, as the hosts claimed the 14-6 victory.
Godfrey led all players with five goals and one assist for six points, while Collins finished with three goals, four groundballs and four draw controls. Martignetti chipped in with three goals, Pettengill netted a pair, and Bucci added one goal and two assists. Godfrey led the Beavers' stellar defensive effort, posting four of the team's 16 caused turnovers.
O'Keefe paced MIT with four goals and four draw controls, while junior Lily He (Ponte Verde, Fla.) and senior Laura Watson (Bethpage, N.Y.) each added a score. First-year Monique Squiers (Grosse pointe Shores, Mich.) went the distance in net for the Engineers, making seven saves.
-----------------------------------------------
Third-Seeded Wellesley Topples Second-Seeded Springfield, 10-7, To Advance To NEWMAC Finals
BABSON PARK, Mass. -- Third-seeded Wellesley College used a 6-1 run in the first half to build a four-goal lead and junior goalie Kristin Jaronczyk (Manhasset, N.Y.) made 10 saves in net as the Blue defeated second-seeded Springfield College, 10-7, in the semifinals of the 2008 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Women's Lacrosse Tournament at Babson's MacDowell Field on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, Wellesley (10-7) advances to Sunday's championship game at 1 p.m., where the Blue will take on host Babson in a rematch of last year's final. Springfield, meanwhile, finishes its season at 10-7.
Junior Erin Doolan (Blauvelt, N.Y.) struck less than three minutes in to give Springfield an early 1-0 advantage, but Wellesley answered with three straight scores to take a 3-1 lead. First-year Elizabeth Hays (Roswell, Ga.) scored the first at 23:23, sophomore Colette Whitaker (Great Falls, Va.) netted the second off an assist from rookie Briana Roberge (Bow, N.H.) at 19:46, and senior Amber Evans (Worthington, Ohio) tallied the third at 9:54.
Springfield got one goal back when sophomore Alexandra Bazzano (Newington, Conn.) scored her first of the day with 8:25 left in the opening session, but the Blue rattled off three more goals in the next five minutes to make it a 6-2 contest. Roberge netted two of the three on free position attempts, while sophomore Molly Morrow (Bow, N.H.) scored the third off a feed from classmate Loretta White (Northampton, Mass.). Bazzano would net her second of the half for Springfield with 1:21 remaining, but Wellesley still held a 6-3 advantage at the break.
The Blue extended their lead with two quick goals in the second, as sophomore Haley Geller (Berkeley, Calif.) shook off an early injury to assist Whitaker at 26:47 and then score a goal of her own at 24:51. That gave Wellesley its largest lead of the day, 8-3, but Springfield responded behind first-year Kaeleigh Lannan (Derry, N.H.), who scored at 17:38 and picked up an assist on a goal by senior Rachel Lampros (Boxborough, Mass.) at 14:04.
White pushed Wellesley's advantage back to four, 9-5, when she converted a free position with 12:49 left to play, and, after Bazzano cut it back to three with her third of the day at 9:35, sophomore Caitlin Meeker (Columbia, Md.) tallied the Blue's fifth free position goal of the day to make it 10-6. The Pride would manage one final goal by Lampros with 5:55 remaining, but the Wellesley defense clamped down to allow just two shots - both off net - in the final six minutes as the Blue held on for the 10-7 victory.
Roberge led Wellesley with two goals and one assist, while Whitaker added two goals and a game-high six groundballs. White and Geller each chipped in with one goal and one helper, and Jaronczyk made six stops in the first and four in the second for a total of 10 saves.
Bazzano paced Springfield's offense with three goals, while Lampros contributed two goals and one assist. Lannan added one goal and one assist, and sophomore goalie Lauren McAulay (Yorktown, N.Y) made eight saves and picked up three groundballs in net.
For the second straight year, Wellesley will meet Babson in the NEWMAC Championship Game. The host Beavers edged the Blue, 12-10, for their first-ever conference title and NCAA Tournament berth last spring. The tourney's top seed and the 10th-ranked team in the nation, Babson advanced to this year's title game with a 14-6 win over fifth-seeded MIT earlier today.
