Springfield, MA --- Behind a two-goal, five-point effort from Lauren Meinhold (Boxboro, MA) the WPI field hockey team upended Springfield on Saturday afternoon, 5-2. 
 
Meinhold netted the ultimate game-winner in the sixth minute of action, the team's third goal in the first six minutes of the match and added an exclamation point of a goal in the 60th minute of the game en route to the win. 
 
Four different Engineers (6-5, 3-1 NEWMAC) finished with goals on the day. Led by Meinhold who had the two as well as an assist, Eve Martineau (Greene, ME) also added a goal and an assist, Arie Lang (West Hartford, CT) and Abbey Powers (Halifax, MA) found the back of the net once each and Eliza Dutson (Woodstock, CT) and Ella Reeners (Windham, NH) each added a helper in the victory. 
 
In the net, Ella Moreau (Huntington, MA) played all 60 minutes of action, finishing with two goals allowed and four saves, picking up her sixth victory of the season. Springfield (3-8, 0-3) netminders Neilee Hess (Franklin, MA) and Kaitlyn Parent (Glastonbury, CT) split the time in net and faced an onslaught of 11 shots on the day as Parent allowed three goals while making six saves while Hess let in two goals on two shots faced in the first three minutes of action.
 
WPI got on the board early and often with the team's first goal of the game coming in the second minute of play. After forcing a Springfield turnover on their defensive half of the field, Meinhold raced into the circle and dished to an awaiting Powers who beat Hess in the five hole for the first goal of the game. Less than 90 seconds later, Dutson sent a long pass to a streaking Leah Uglevich (Maynard, MA) who then ticked the ball to Lang who sent a pass in the circle to Reeners in a give and go that resulted in a 2-0 lead. 
 
In the sixth minute of action, Meinhold made it a 3-0 game. After a reset at the 20-yard line, Martineau dribbled down the right side of the field sending a pass to the center of the circle where Meinhold ripped a shot at the net for the score. 
 
Springfield had a flurry of offensive action in the ninth minute of the game but Moreau stood strong making three saves as the Engineers headed into the first break with a 3-0 lead. 
 
Springfield answered back in the second quarter with a pair of goals in the 17th and 24th minutes of action. Emma McLaughlin (Norwalk, CT) netted the Pride's first goal of the game while Nicolette Morlock's (Rexford, NY) goal came on a penalty stroke. 
 
But the Engineers answered back to regain a two-goal lead before the end of the first half when Martineau nailed a penalty stroke of her own, beating the Springfield goalie to the left side for the score. The goal was Martineau's fourth of the season and WPI's first penalty stroke conversion of 2024. 
 
Neither team registered a shot in the third period of action, but the offense bounced back in the fourth quarter as WPI drew six penalty corner opportunities, taking seven shots in the period. However, it took until the 60th minute of play for Meinhold to net the fifth goal of the game utilizing the team's eighth corner of the game. Dutson inserted to an awaiting Meinhold who ripped a shot from the very top of the circle for the fifth and final score of the game. 
 
The Engineers are back in action next Saturday, Oct. 12 when they head to faceoff with the other NEWMAC Engineers with a 1pm showdown with MIT while Springfield returns to the field in NEWMAC action at home vs. Mount Holyoke on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 5pm.