Sports

Julia N. Roberts ’10 Strikes Twice To Lead Women’s Soccer Past Emerson, 2-0Women’s Volleyball Tops Clark, 3-1Wentz and Arumugam Named NEWMAC Runners of the Week

Julia N. Roberts ’10 Strikes Twice To Lead Women’s Soccer Past Emerson, 2-0

Midfielder Julia N. Roberts ’10 scored twice midway through the second half and the Engineers’ defense locked down Emerson’s attack as MIT women’s soccer secured a 2-0 victory at Roberts Field on Tuesday.

Roberts broke a scoreless tie in the 60th minute after heading in a rebound that bounced off the top of the crossbar. Erica W. Little ’11 set-up the finish with a cross from the left side while Roberts one-touched the rebound into the back of the net for her first career goal.

Less than two minutes later, the Engineers extended their advantage with another strike from Roberts. Midfielder Kathryn A. Pesce ’10 was credited with an assist after sliding the ball to Roberts from the middle of the field while she got past an Emerson defender en route to her second score of the afternoon.

Emerson controlled the play during the first half and out-shot the Engineers 7-3 in the opening. MIT turned the tide in the second half with constant pressure that resulted in a 6-1 shot advantage for the Engineers.

Stephanie V. Brenman ’09 made five saves en route to her second shutout of the season while rookie Baileigh Wirzburger made five stops in the losing effort for Emerson.

—James Kramer, DAPER Staff

Women’s Volleyball Tops Clark, 3-1

In its New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) season-opener, the MIT women’s volleyball team defeated host Clark University, 25-19, 25-17, 22-25, 25-23, on Tuesday.

With the score tied at 13 in the second set, the Engineers went on a 6-1 run capped by Barden E. Cleeland’s ’10 kill down the middle. The Cougars capitalized on three straight errors by MIT to bring the score to 19-17. The Engineers responded by recording the final six points of the set.

Clark established its largest margin of the night when Edmonds floated the ball over the net to put the hosts up, 16-11. Alexandra T. May ’10 evened the set at 21 with a kill of her own, but three straight points from Maritza Fair resulted in set point. Liz Magier’s spike denied the Engineers a sweep.

Trailing by one in the fourth game, a series of hitting miscues by both teams gave MIT a 24-22 edge. A kill by Fair cut the deficit in half, however, and Cleeland’s back-row strike sealed up the match for the Engineers.

May paced MIT with 15 kills, 18 digs and four aces, while Cleeland contributed 13 kills and two blocks. Lindsay E. Hunting ’09 recorded 16 digs and three aces as Catherine Melnikow ’10 dished out 46 assists.

—Mindy Brauer, DAPER Staff

Wentz and Arumugam Named NEWMAC Runners of the Week

Jacqueline M. Wentz ’10 and Hemagiri Arumugam ’10 have been named the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Runners of the Week after leading their respective teams to victory in the Engineer’s Cup, held Saturday at Franklin Park.

Wentz broke the tape in 19:21, leading a pack of four Tech runners who finished the five-kilometer course in under 20 minutes. The Engineers missed out on a perfect score in the meet by just one place, as five of the top six times belonged to MIT runners.

Arumugam posted an impressive time of 26:33 in the hot and humid conditions to lead the Engineers to a decisive victory over RPI and NEWMAC foe WPI. Arumugam used a strong fourth mile to open up a 10 second lead over his closest competitors and eventually broke the tape 13 seconds clear of the second-best finisher.

­—Greg McKeever, DAPER Staff