MIT kicks off lacrosse season with clear win
The women’s lacrosse team is off to a flying start to the season after a firm 18-9 victory over Mount Ida College
In the first meeting between both teams, the MIT women’s lacrosse team came out on top as it defeated Mount Ida College, 18-9, on Saturday, March 1. Isabella D. DiDio ’16 and Hannah A. Levy ’17 paced the Engineers (1-0) with six goals apiece while Rebecca Beaulieu led the Mustangs (0-1) with four goals.
DiDio put MIT on the board after 48 seconds elapsed and sandwiched a strike by Levy with a free-position goal to increase the lead to 3-0 at the 19:31 mark. Kira M. Schott ’16, who assisted on Levy’s marker, found the back of the net less than 30 seconds later to extend the game-opening run. Mount Ida ended the shutout when Molly Sheppard redirected a feed from Samantha Basler with 17:41 on the clock.
The Engineers replied with goals from Emma Kane ’15 and DiDio during the next 1:25; however, Beaulieu and Basler provided markers of their own to narrow the gap to 6-3. Moments after the ensuing draw, Levy scored, sparking a 4-0 run during the final 13:17 of the half. DiDio netted two goals while Nadia L. Wallace ’16 converted a free-position shot to give MIT a 10-3 advantage at the intermission.
The Cardinal and Gray carried the momentum into the second half as it rattled off three goals during the first nine minutes. Levy bookended the spurt as her second tally was set up by Kristyn M. Berretta ’16 while Schott recorded a solo effort. Beaulieu ended Mount Ida’s scoring drought midway through the frame; however, Tate E. DeWeese ’17 provided a free-position strike that glanced off goalie Sammy Levitt’s leg. Levy quickly followed with her fifth goal of the day to give MIT a 15-4 lead with 13:08 left to play.
Despite the deficit the Mustangs continued to attack, generating three unanswered goals over the course of six minutes. Beaulieu started the rally with a free-position shot while Sheppard and Basler added unassisted goals to bring Mount Ida within eight (15-7). DiDio thwarted the comeback attempt with her final goal of the day as both sides traded scores during the final 6:07 of the game.
In addition to her career-high scoring performance, DiDio totaled nine draw controls and three ground balls while Levy tacked on three ground balls, three draw controls, and two caused turnovers. Schott finished with three goals, two assists, and four draw controls as Wallace notched one goal, one assist, and two ground balls. Kane chipped in three ground balls while Christine W. Jiang ’16 gathered three draw controls. In net, Candice Kaplan ’15 came away with four saves and two ground balls.
Beaulieu added four ground balls and a caused turnover to her team-high scoring effort as Sheppard and Basler both generated two goals and an assist. Sheppard also had two draw controls while Basler tallied four ground balls. Kaitlyn Affhauser converted a feed from Nicole Batakis for the Mustangs’ final goal of the game while Affhauser contributed three ground balls. Amanda Bowen posted two ground balls and two draw controls as Alison Koning recorded two ground balls. Levitt amassed 13 saves, including several point-blank stops for the visitors.
Both squads return to action on the road on Tuesday, March 4. MIT will travel to Lasell College, while Mount Ida will visit Curry College.