Cambridge, MA --- WPI saw its season come to a close Tuesday afternoon, as the sixth-seeded Crimson and Gray dropped a 2-1 decision to third-seeded MIT in the NEWMAC Tournament quarterfinals at Roberts Field. Junior
Michael Montabana (Jamison, PA) gave the Boynton Hillers an early lead, but the homestanding Engineers rallied with a pair of second-half goals to advance.
WPI finishes the season with a 2-9-6 record, while MIT improves to 9-5-4 and advances to Friday's semifinal round, where the third-seeded Cardinal and Gray will travel to second-seeded Wheaton for a 2pm kickoff.
The visitors struck just 22 seconds into the contest.
Jason Hrkach (Lexington, MA) set up Montabana for his third goal of the season, giving the Boynton Hillers a 1-0 advantage.
The hosts responded with pressure, including a shot by
Charles Lai (Providence, RI) that hit the crossbar, but WPI goalkeeper
Savio Ketnouvong (Worcester, MA) made several key stops to preserve the lead through the opening half.
MIT pulled even at 58:05 when
Nico Mangiafico (Farmington, CT) found the back of the net. WPI continued to battle, with
Tedi Ajazi (Shrewsbury, MA) putting a second-half shot on target, but MIT goalkeeper
Nicolas Santos-Shin (New York, NY) made the save. Ajazi also sent a shot wide later in the half.
The hosts took the lead for good at 85:57 when
Gianluca Balestrieri (Washington, D.C.) scored his fourth goal of the season. The visiting Engineers looked for a late response, but were unable to find an equalizer before the final whistle.
Ketnouvong finished with five saves for WPI, while Santos-Shin recorded one stop for MIT. MIT held an 18-6 advantage in shots and a 7-2 edge in shots on goal. The hosts also finished with a 15-1 advantage in corner kicks. Ajazi paced WPI with two shots, while
Danyil Kovryzhenko (Merrimack, NH),
Nikolas Previte (Andover, MA), Hrkach and Montabana each recorded one.
