WORCESTER -- An early goal by Maeve Steckley (Rochester, NY) and a late tally by Abigail Johnson(Middletown, CT) lifted the WPI women's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over NEWMAC foe Mount Holyoke on Saturday afternoon on H. Carr Field at Alumni Stadium.
 
WPI elevates its record to 8-6-4 overall, 5-4-2 in NEWMAC competition.  The Crimson and Gray totaled 17 points in league play and tied for fifth in the 12-team loop with Wheaton and Emerson, however with losses to both teams, the Engineers will be the seventh seed in next week's NEWMAC Tournament and will face second-seeded Springfield in a quarterfinal on Tuesday at time to announced later this weekend.  Mount Holyoke, which entered the day with a chance of qualifying for the NEWMAC Tournament with a win and some help with other results around the NEWMAC, completes tits season with a 4-6-6 record and 1-6-4 mark in conference action.
 
The Engineers took an early lead at 9:13 when Katie Adiletta (Bolton, MA) dribbled past defenders and sent a well-placed pass across the box to Steckley, who fired a shot to the far post, marking her sixth goal of the season.
 
The Lyons wasted no time in evening the score at 1-1 at 20:40. Anna Kennedy (Glendale, WI) broke free from the WPI defense, positioning herself to receive a header from the hosts after a long ball, and slid the ball past the goalkeeper for her third of the year.
 
The rest of the half stayed scoreless, with WPI leading in shots, 4-2, and claiming all three corner kicks. The Lyons' had the best chance of the remaining minutes, which came at 36:43 when Ania McMichael (Glastonbury, CT) found herself in a one-on-one showdown with WPI goalie Lili Hellerman (Ashland, MA). McMichael unleashed a powerful strike, but Hellerman was quick to make the crucial save, keeping the game tied going into intermission.
 
WPI's offense controlled the field in the second half, taking 13 of the 14 total shots and all four corner kicks. Just as the match seemed headed for a draw, Johnson broke the deadlock, pushing the score to 2-1. A well-timed pass up field from Lottie McLeod (Newton, MA) found Johnson in stride, and she capitalized with a breakaway shot to the bottom right corner, securing her fourth goal of the season at 78:28.
 
The Engineers controlled the offensive play, outshooting their opponents 25-5 and securing all 10 corner kicks of the match.
 
For the Engineers, Hellerman batted away two attempts, while Evie Krieg (Frisco, TX) blocked 13 shots for the Lyons.
 
Recap Written by WPI Sports Information Student Assistant Maya Vartabedian '24 '25