Women’s Soccer Clinches NEWMAC Championship with Pair of 1-0 Wins
The MIT Women’s Soccer Team won its first-ever NEWMAC Championship — and its first conference title since 1989 — this weekend, defeating Wheaton College in the semifinal and defending champions Springfield College in the final. The Engineers won both games with a score of 1-0.
In the Saturday semifinal against Wheaton, Alisha D. Lussiez scored in the 20th minute off a blocked shot and rebound by Emily Kuo ’13. The Engineers’ defense, led by Meghan S. Wright ’13’s 11 saves in goal, was able to shut down Wheaton the rest of the game, denying the Lyons their 11th consecutive appearance in the NEWMAC title game.
In the tournament final, Springfield controlled the game early and outshot MIT, but Wright made 14 saves and kept Springfield off the scoreboard. Both teams had opportunities to score in the second half, including a shot by Lussiez off the goalpost, but an assist by Connie Y. Park ’13 to Lussiez in the 56th minute provided the lone score of the game.
The Engineers did not allow a single goal in the tournament, outscoring their opponents 6-0. Lussiez led MIT with three goals and an assist, while Park and Jean E. “Liz” Theurer ‘10 had two assists apiece.
With the win, MIT will make its first appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament, which begins November 12th.