Miller's two second-half tallies propel Wheaton past MIT, 4-2

October 23, 2007

NORTON, MA- Senior Ashley Miller (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) deposited two second-half goals to lift Wheaton College past Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 4-2 on Tuesday in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) field hockey action at Clark Field.

In each team's regular season finale, the Lyons improved to 12-5 overall and 6-2 in the NEWMAC, setting a program mark for league wins. The Engineers fell to 4-12 and 1-7. Wheaton, which will host a NEWMAC Tournament first-round game on Saturday at 1:00 p.m., will find out what seed it occupies and who it plays based on tonight's results from around the league. MIT, which entered the game in a three-way tie for seventh in the league, awaits its postseason fate.

MIT fired off two shots during the game, but both found the back of the net, beginning with freshman Jessica Oleinik's (Ellicott City, MD/Centennial) marker in the sixth minute that took an awkward bounce past freshman keeper Cameron Abel (Windham, NH/Salem) as she tried to make a kick save. Wheaton tallied the equalizer 3:27 before halftime, as senior Lyndsie Ryalls (Branford, CT/Branford) sent a shot on the MIT net that trickled past senior keeper Alexa Herman (Suffern, NY/Suffern) and a couple of defenders trying to make a goal-line stop. Senior Sara Dimick (Cumberland, ME/Greely) assisted.

Miller, who had one goal in 60 career games entering the contest, tallied first on a penalty stroke. After a Dimick shot was stopped by sophomore midfielder Nirupama Yechoor (Sylvania, OH/Maumee Valley Country Day School) at the mouth of the goal, MIT was called for an infraction that led to a Wheaton penalty stroke. Miller's ensuing stroke hit the bottom right corner at 43:57. After a Dimick shot in the 61st minute was saved by Herman, Miller picked up the rebound and found the right corner at 60:24 to make it 3-1.

Dimick got in the act with 7:09 remaining when she one-timed sophomore Alex Block's (Saratoga, CA/Saratoga) pass for her team-leading 16th goal. Oleinik got the goal back with 29 seconds left, hitting in senior Cristina Stefanescu's (Needham, MA/Winsor School) cross.

Abel did not make a save in earning her 12th win of the fall, while Dimick tied her own school record with her 11th assist of the season. Herman made 11 saves, while Wheaton held advantages of 20-2 in shots and 7-1 in penalty corners.

SCORING: 1st 2nd Final
MIT (4-12, 1-7) 1 1 2
Wheaton (12-5, 6-2) 1 3 4

1st Half: MIT- Jessica Oleinik (Lauren McCarthy) 5:14; WC- Lyndsie Ryalls (Sara Dimick) 31:33

2nd Half: WC- Ashley Miller (penalty stroke) 43:57, Miller (unassisted) 60:24, Dimick (Alex Block) 62:51; MIT- Oleinik (Cristina Stefanescu) 69:31

Goalie Saves: WC- Cameron Abel 0; MIT- Alexa Herman 11

Shots: WC- 20; MIT- 2

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