Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Springfield, MA --- The 24th-ranked WPI field hockey team picked up its first win of the season and first road victory on Saturday afternoon, rallying past Western New England, 2-0, at Golden Bear Stadium. The Engineers improve to 1-1 on the season while the Golden Bears fall to 1-1.
 
The triumph was also the first at WPI for Crimson and Gray head coach Carden Brown.  The Worcester native had amassed a 43-22 mark in her three-year tenure as head coach at Westfield State.
 
Western New England came out aggressively, holding a 4-2 advantage in shots after the opening 15 minutes. Myles Lakin (Reading, MA) kept the Golden Bears off the scoreboard, making three saves in the opening quarter, including stops on shots from Mikayla Mrzywka (Macedon, NY), Abigail Petrini (Windham, NH) and Gianna Testi (Shelton, CT). WPI's best opportunity came late in the quarter when Ella Reeners (Windham, NH) had a shot blocked following a penalty corner before Emma Barton (Hopewell Junction, NY) sent a shot high.
 
The defensive battle continued into the second quarter. Western New England earned its lone penalty corner of the afternoon and Lakin turned aside shots from Jenna Nigro (Chelmsford, MA) and Olivia Lugo (Sandy Hook, CT). WPI generated sustained pressure of its own, earning three penalty corners during the quarter, but the Golden Bear defense kept the Engineers off the scoreboard. Lakin made another save on Mrzywka with 1:29 remaining in the half, sending the teams into intermission scoreless.
 
WPI then broke the deadlock early in the third quarter. Just 2:27 into the second half, Reeners set up Madeline Chase (Danvers, MA), who found the back of the cage at 32:33 for her first goal of the season. The Engineers doubled their advantage just 4:15 later when Tatiana Nwosu (Houston, TX) assisted Barton at 36:48, giving WPI a 2-0 lead.
 
The Engineers continued to apply pressure in the third quarter, earning three penalty corners while limiting Western New England to just one shot. Alex Tardugno (Methuen, MA) kept the Golden Bears within striking distance, making saves on attempts from Ava Cortis (Medway, MA) and Nwosu.
 
Western New England continued to battle in the final 15 minutes, but Lakin and the WPI defense protected the advantage. Lakin stopped four shots on goal in the fourth quarter, including two from Testi and late attempts by Lugo and Petrini, to complete the shutout. Tardugno made saves on Chloe Luongo (Amherst, NH) and Barton during the closing minutes, but the Engineers held on for the 2-0 victory.
 
WPI finished with a 16-13 advantage in shots and dominated the penalty-corner battle, 9-1. Lakin finished with 10 saves in the shutout, while Tardugno made four saves for Western New England. Barton led the Engineers with four shots, while Luongo also registered four.
 
Chase and Barton each scored their first goals of the season, while Reeners and Nwosu each collected an assist. The Engineers' nine penalty corners included three in the third quarter and two in the fourth as WPI turned its second-half pressure into its first victory of 2026.
 
WPI, ranked No. 24 in the preseason Penn Monto/NFHCA Division III National Coaches Poll, returns home Wednesday for an early-season showdown with No. 8 Wesleyan. The Cardinals visit Worcester for a 7pm contest.