WPI 3, Babson 2

Box Score     

 BABSON PARK, MA --- Junior Meghan Linskey (Bridgewater, MA) scored the game-winning goal with 3:56 left in regulation to lift the visiting WPI field hockey team to a stunning 3-2 victory over host Babson College in the final game of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) regular season at Babson's MacDowell Field on Tuesday night. With the win, the Engineers improve to 11-5 overall and 5-3 in conference play, while the Beavers enter the postseason at 11-7 overall and 4-4 in the NEWMAC.

Babson dominated the majority of the contest, recording a 34-8 shot advantage overall and 22-6 in shots on goal. The Beavers also had 21 penalty corners to WPI's three, but the Engineers came away with the victory thanks to some timely offense and the magnificent play of senior goalkeepers Allie Griffin (Billerica, MA) and Elizabeth Ray (Simsbury, CT). Griffin started and made seven saves in the first half, while Ray entered the game to start the second half and stopped 11 shots. WPI also received two critical defensive saves early in the second half from senior back Kelly Johnson (Buxton, ME).

WPI took a 1-0 lead early on, as sophomore Celena Dopart (Washington, DC) put back a rebound of Linskey's shot off the left post for her third goal of the season at 5:29. That lead would last only seven minutes, however, as Babson junior Sarah Fredlund (New Preston, Conn.) scored her 20th goal of the year off her own rebound at 12:37.

The Engineers went back in front in the 26th minute of play, as Johnson took a penalty corner insertion from first-year Maggie Wigley (Bridgewater, MA) at the top of the circle and hit a rocket that glanced off a defender's stick and inside the right post at 25:35. It was the senior back's team-leading 10th goal of the season and it gave the Engineers a 2-1 lead that they would carry into the break.

Johnson made two big defensive saves on shots by Babson junior Colleen Kelly (Milton, Mass.) just 20 seconds apart in the opening seven minutes of the second stanza, but the Beavers' offensive onslaught eventually broke through when Fredlund swept a shot past Ray from the left side off a Kelly pass from the top of the circle on one of Babson's 12 second-half penalty corners. However, that would prove to be the Beavers' final goal of the contest, as Ray made eight of her 11 saves in the final 13 minutes of regulation to keep the hosts off the board.

Linskey finally secured the game-winner for WPI with just under four minutes remaining, as she took a pass from Johnson on the right side and knocked a shot past sprawling sophomore goalie Jess Pashos (Winchester, MA) at 66:04. Babson would manage one more penalty corner and two more shots on net in the final three minutes, but Ray turned away both bids to preserve the 3-2 win.

Both teams will now head into postseason play on October, 31 as the NEWMAC Tournament Quarterfinals will take place at locations and times to be determined. Wellesley College locked up the top seed in the tourney with a victory over Wheaton and a loss by Clark University on Tuesday. The remaining seven seeds and the listing of all first-round matchups will be announced by the league office by Wednesday morning.

Updated 10pm: The NEWMAC released the tie breakers tonight, WPI was part of a complicated four-way tie for second place, and will receive the fifth seed in the upcoming NEWMAC tournament. The Engineers will travel to fourth seeded Springfield for a NEWMAC quarterfinal contest on Saturday. Official game time to be released on Wednesday.

Release Courtesy of Babson Athletics