WORCESTER -- Lauren Meinhold (Boxboro, MA) netted a pair of first half tallies and Arie Lang (West Hartford, CT) added an insurance goal late in the game to lift WPI to a 3-0 shutout over visitors Wellesley in a NEWMAC field hockey contest played Saturday afternoon on H. Carr Field at Alumni Stadium.
 
WPI advances to 11-6 overall and 7-2 in NEWMAC play. Wellesley falls to 9-9 on the season and 4-5 in conference competition.  Both teams will host NEWMAC Tournament quarterfinal contests on Tuesday at 6pm.  Third-seeded WPI will entertain sixth-seeded Springfield while the Blue, which ended up on the favorable end of a four-way tiebreaker for the final three tournament slots, welcomes fifth-seeded Salve Regina to Wellesley.
 
The Engineers opening the scoring gate during a chaotic moment in front of the net. Eliza Dutson (Woodstock, CT) first unleashed a powerful shot that was saved by the Blue goalkeeper Hannah Simmonds (Austin, TX). However, Meinhold capitalized on the rebound, driving the puck past all defenders for her eighth goal of the season at 11:49.
 
Following an insertion by Dutson, Emily Sollecito (Bedford, MA) deflected the ball into the circle, setting up Meinhold to expertly redirect it into the net at 18:27 for her second goal of the game and ninth of the season.
 
Arguably, Wellesley's best scoring opportunity of the first half arose from a corner when Annika Schermerhorn (Clifton Park, NY) fired a shot on goal, but WPI's Ella Moreau (Huntington, MA) made a crucial save by extending her kneepad to block it at 23:48.
 
The third quarter featured back-and-forth action, with WPI outshooting their opponents 3-2, while corners were tied at 2-2. For the Boynton Hillers, Meinhold registered a shot on goal, and the Blue's Alex Butulis (Raleigh, NC) saw her attempt saved by Moreau.
 
With nine minutes left in the game, Sollecito sent a precise pass into the circle that just missed the stick of teammate Chloe Luongo (Amherst, NH), which allowed Lang to position herself to redirect the ball into the net for her sixth of the year at 51:06.
 
WPI held the upper hand in shots, 11-5, while penalty corners were evenly matched at 6-6.
 
Moreau was in net for the Crimson and Grey blocking two attempts en route to the shutout. Simmonds saved five shots for the Blue while in goal.
 
Recap Written by WPI Sports Information Student Assistant Maya Vartabedian '24 '25